Silicone-Embedded Mesh Reduces Burn Healing Time

A biosynthetic wound dressing constructed of a silicone film reduces healing time in partial-thickness burns when compared to beta-glucan collagen (BGC), according to a new study.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, USA) conducted a retrospective chart review of all children treated in the pediatric burn program between January 2003 and May 2009. In all, 291 patients were treated with the Biobrane dressing for partial-thickness burns. Using age, burn mechanism, and percent of body surface area burned, 43 patients were matched with patients from a previous study that involved patients with partial-thickness burns treated with BGC. The researchers compared length of hospital stay, number of outpatient visits, and days to heal.


The researchers found that in the Biobrane group, the average total body surface area of the burn was 6%, average hospital stay was 2.6 days, and there was an average of three follow-up outpatient visits. The median number of days to healing was nine, and about 45% of patients were seen on an outpatient-only basis. Conversely, patients in the BGC group had larger burns, on average, than those in the Biobrane group (9.3% versus 6.0%), but there was no significant difference in the number of outpatient visits or the number of patients treated on an outpatient basis. There was no statistically significant difference in the length of hospital stay, but days to heal was shorter in the Biobrane group than in the BGC group. The study was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) national conference, held during October 2010 in San Francisco (CA, USA).

"BGC is also a good product, but it's much less versatile, harder to put on, and ultimately it's harder to tell when the burn is healed and the dressing should come off,” said lead author and study presenter Aaron Lesher, M.D. "I think BGC is very good at treating donor sites for split-thickness skin grafts. It's also very good for long flat surfaces, because it becomes thick and rigid, not pliable like Biobrane. But when children get burned on their feet, on their hands, or on their bottoms, none of these are good places for BCG because they're not flat.”

The Biobrane biosynthetic wound dressing, a product of Smith & Nephew (Hull, United Kingdom), is constructed of a silicone film, with a nylon fabric partially imbedded into the film, available in a range of shapes and sizes. The fabric presents to the wound bed a complex three-dimensional (3D) structure of trifilament thread, to which collagen has been chemically bound. Blood and sera clot in the nylon matrix, thereby firmly adhering the dressing to the wound until epithelialization occurs.

Related Links:
Medical University of South Carolina
Smith & Nephew