SAN DIEGO Use of Biobrane wound dressing in pediatric burn patients resulted in a short hospital stay and follow-up as an outpatient with few complications, results from a single-center study demonstrated.
Researchers reviewed the medical charts of 116 pediatric burn patients aged 018 years who received Biobrane wound dressing at the University Hospital trauma center in San Antonio, Tex., between 2002 and 2007.
Biobrane (Bertek Pharmaceuticals) is a synthetic nylon mesh that is bonded to silicone and coated with collagen peptides. It functions as an analogue to the dermis and its pores allow exudate to be drained. It has been shown to be a reasonable option in children, Dr. Cristiane M. Ueno said at the annual meeting of the Wound Healing Society.
The dressing "usually can be trimmed away after 1 week as the wound heals, decreasing the healing time when compared with some other dressings," Dr. Ueno of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, said.
The average age of patients was 5 years, males outnumbered females 2:1, and more than two-thirds (68%) were Hispanic. Fifty-two percent of cases were scald injuries and 70% of the patients had second-degree burns.
Of the 116 patients who received Biobrane dressing, 58 had sustained burns to the upper extremity. More than two-thirds were admitted to the hospital for only 12 days for dressing care and instruction on care of the injury. Only seven complications occurred from the use of Biobrane, including one case of bacteremia, two cases of local infection, two cases of cellulitis, and two cases of fever, Dr. Ueno said at the meeting, held in conjunction with a symposium on advanced wound care.
The majority of patients needed only oral pain medications or mild conscious sedation, not general anesthesia, while undergoing debridement and Biobrane application and subsequent dressing changes. This, combined with the low risk of complications, suggests that the dressing could lower costs and reduce hospital stays in the pediatric burn population, said Dr. Ueno, who had no conflicts to disclose.
The child's burn is first cleaned with chlorhexidine and then bullae and nonviable tissue are removed (left). A Biobrane glove is then placed over the hand (right). Photos courtesy Dr. Cristiane M. Ueno
