Abstract
Background: Dressing of split-thickness skin graft donor sites can be traumatic for the patient. The most advanced and expensive dressings have been compared to the most basic of dressings, with little or no consensus and an unpersuasive level of evidence. We aimed to determine the efficacy of the locally manufactured non-adherent, hydroconductive Drawtex® dressing and compare it to our current standard-of-care dressing, a thin transparent polyurethane film, in the healing of split-thickness donor sites. Methods: This prospective, within-patient controlled study included 27 adult participants, each with two split-thickness skin donor sites. The 54 donor site wounds were compared with regard to time to re-epithelialisation, perceived pain and healed wound quality. Results: By day 5, complete healing of donor site wounds, defined as >90% of epithelialized surface, was significantly higher in the hydroconductive dressing group compared to the polyurethane film group (22.2% and 3.7%, respectively; p < 0.0001). The hydroconductive dressing-treated donor site wounds were significantly less painful at 24-hours, 48-hours and 7-days post-operatively, and had fewer complications and superior wound healing quality. Conclusion: We have demonstrated that the relatively cheap and readily available dressing made locally in South Africa, Drawtex® is at least as safe, and potentially superior in wound healing, when compared to our current standard-of-care dressing.
Highlights
Split-thickness skin graft donor sites are partial-thickness wounds that healed by the process of epithelialisation
By day 5, complete healing of donor site wounds, defined as >90% of epithelialized surface, was significantly higher in the hydroconductive dressing group compared to the polyurethane film group (22.2% and 3.7%, respectively; p < 0.0001)
We have demonstrated that the relatively cheap and readily available dressing made locally in South Africa, Drawtex®, is at least as safe, and potentially superior in wound healing, when compared to our current standard-of-care dressing
Summary
Split-thickness skin graft donor sites are partial-thickness wounds that healed by the process of epithelialisation. These wounds are painful and run the risk of infection, conversion to full-thickness wounds, and scar hypertrophy. There is extensive literature available on the dressings and management of split-thickness skin graft donor site wounds. A wide variety of dressings, ranging from simple dressings, such as transparent polyurethane film, to more complex dressings like silver (Acticoat®) or growth-factor impregnated dressings (rh-aFGF) have been studied in the management of split-thickness skin graft donor site wounds, with lack of consensus from these studies [1] [2].
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