726 The Use of Xeroform Dressings for Partial Thickness Scald Burn Injuries in a Verified Pediatric Burn Center

Abstract

Abstract Introduction For children who have suffered a burn injury one of the greatest challenges is managing pain with an adequate yet practical burn wound dressing that will ultimately be managed at home. Medical product companies have created a variety of wound care products available on the market. These products are advertised to be more superior over one another in categories such as decrease in wound infections, minimization of pain, ease of dressing application, increased dressing wear time, and better wound healing. With all the options for burn wound care there are many factors to consider when choosing a burn dressing such as cost, ease of dressing for families at home, comfort, and efficacy. At our ten year verified pediatric burn center we have tried many different burn wound care products, however we have found Xeroform and bacitracin to be the most practical and easy to use for our patient population. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed from 2016–2018 of all cascading scald injuries to children 0–5 years of age treated at our verified pediatric burn center. 179 patients were included in this review. Of those patients a total of 52 patients were excluded, 28 patients had no follow up, 21 patients received alternate dressings, and 3 patients had full thickness injuries requiring a split thickness skin graft (STSG). Charts were reviewed for total body surface area (TBSA), length of stay (LOS), discharge dressing type, complications, and time to healing. All patients included routinely received consistent application of the Xeroform and bacitracin. Results 127 patients discharged with Xeroform dressings were included in this study with an average age of 1.4 years old (range 0–5 years) and average TBSA of 2.5% (range 0.25–13%). The average LOS was 1.6 days (range 1–10 days). In this sample 32 (25%) patients were healed within 7 days. 77 (61%) patients were healed within 7–14 days. 11 (9%) patients were healed within 14–21 days. 7 (5%) patients were healed in greater than 21 days. There were no wound complications identified within this study group. Conclusions Using Xeroform as our standard of practice has streamlined the care provided to our patients. We have demonstrated consistent effective re-epithelization, protection from infection, and ease of dressings for families and burn providers. In our experience Xeroform has provided a versatile way to care for partial thickness burn injuries. Applicability of Research to Practice We suggest Xeroform and bacitracin dressings be used for partial thickness burn injuries in patients under 5 years of age. This dressing may be superior to other products because it allows for bathing while providing good wound epithelization and is easy to use.