TITLE:
The Treatment of Partial-Thickness Burns with a Hydroconductive Wound Dressing: Clinical and Mechanistic Effects
AUTHORS:
David J. Smith, Rachel A. Karlnoski, Ami Patel, C. Wayne Cruse, Kimberly S. Brown, Martin C. Robson
KEYWORDS:
Burn Wound; Edema
JOURNAL NAME:
Surgical Science,
Vol.4 No.5,
May
7,
2013
ABSTRACT: Objectives: Edema in partial-thickness burn wounds can decrease tissue
perfusion, increase tissue ischemia, and deepen the burn injury. We report the
results of a clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of a hydro-conductive
dressing to our standard burn dressing at removing edema fluid from
partial-thickness burns and present the proposed mechanisms of action of the hydroconductive
dressing. Methods: An internally controlled comparison of two wound dressings was
performed on 10 patients with non-contiguous partial-thickness burns. Each
patient served as his/her own control. One burn was treated with our standard
burn dressing and the other with hydroconductive dressing. Dressings were
weighed prior to application, removed at 24 and 48 hours, weighed, and new
pre-weighed dressings applied. Weight
gain of each dressing at 24 and 48 hours was determined. Statistics were applied
using the Student’s paired T-test. The VAS pain scale was measured prior to,
during, and after each dressing change. Results: At 24 hours, the hydroconductive dressing had increased 85.6% ± 29.3% in
weight compared with 61.3% ± 32.7% for the control (P = 0.053).
For the second 24 hour period, the respective numbers were statistically significantly
different at 59.7% ± 23.4% vs. 34.2% ± 19.1% (P = 0.038). Averaging
the weight gain over the two dressing periods demonstrated that the differences
were highly statistically significant as the hydroconductive dressing increased
in weight by 71.0% ± 20.3% compared with 44.5% ± 17.4% for the gauze dressing
(P = 0.005). VAS scores revealed no statistical differences. Mechanisms of action included capillary, hydroconductive,
and electrostatic actions. Conclusions: A hydroconductive dressing designed to draw off excessive wound
fluid removes more wound edema fluid than standard burn gauze dressings.