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 0–18 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 bonded to silicone and coated with collagen peptides. It functions as an analogue to the dermis and its pores allow exudate to be drained, Dr. Cristiane M. Ueno told 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 in an interview.
The mean patient age was 5 years, males outnumbered females 2:1, and 68% were Hispanic. Of the cases, 52% were scald injuries, and 70% of the patients had second-degree burns.
Of the 116 patients who received Biobrane dressing, 58 had burns to the upper extremity. More than two-thirds were admitted to the hospital for 1–2 days for dressing care and instruction on care. Seven complications occurred from the use of Biobrane, including one case of bacteremia, two cases each of local infection, cellulitis, and fever, Dr. Ueno said at the meeting, held in conjunction with a symposium on advanced wound care.
Most of the patients needed only oral pain medications or mild conscious sedation, not general anesthesia, for debridement, Biobrane application, and dressing changes. This and the low risk of complications suggest the dressing could reduce costs and hospital stays in this population, said Dr. Ueno, who had no conflicts todisclose.
A pediatric burn patient's wound is shown (left) after cleaning and debridement. The hand is then covered with the Biobrane glove, which can be trimmed away as the wound heals. Photos courtesy Dr. Cristiane M. Ueno
The low risk of complications and need for only oral pain medications could help cut costs and reduce hospital stays. DR. UENO