Abstract
BackgroundIn the paediatric population, pain and distress associated with burn injuries during wound care procedures remain a constant challenge. Although silver dressings are the gold standard for burn care in Australasia, very few high-level trials have been conducted that compare silver dressings to determine which will provide the best level of care clinically. Therefore, for paediatric patients in particular, identifying silver dressings that are associated with lower levels of pain and rapid wound re-epithelialisation is imperative. This study will determine whether there is a difference in time to re-epithelialisation and pain and distress experienced during wound care procedures among Acticoat™, Acticoat™ combined with Mepitel™ and Mepilex Ag™ dressings for acute, paediatric partial thickness burns.Methods/DesignChildren aged 0 to 15 years with an acute partial thickness (superficial partial to deep partial thickness inclusive) burn injury and a burn total body surface area of ≤10% will be eligible for the trial. Patients will be randomised to one of the three dressing groups: (1) Acticoat™ or (2) Acticoat™ combined with Mepitel™ or (3) Mepilex Ag™. A minimum of 28 participants will be recruited for each treatment group. Primary measures of pain, distress and healing will be repeated at each dressing change until complete wound re-epithelialisation occurs or skin grafting is required. Additional data collected will include infection status at each dressing change, physical function, scar outcome and scar management requirements, cost effectiveness of each dressing and staff perspectives of the dressings.DiscussionThe results of this study will determine the effects of three commonly used silver and silicone burn dressing combinations on the rate of wound re-epithelialisation and pain experienced during dressing procedures in acute, paediatric partial thickness burn injuries.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12613000105741
Highlights
In the paediatric population, pain and distress associated with burn injuries during wound care procedures remain a constant challenge
Silver dressings are the gold standard for burn care in Australasia, very few high-level trials have been completed comparing the clinical utilities of these dressings, in relation to pain and rates of reepithelialisation in paediatric burn patients
The majority of trials that are available on these dressings only show the benefits of using these silver dressings in comparison with silver sulfadiazine creams for burn injuries and are not specific to paediatric or adult patients [15]
Summary
Pain and distress associated with burn injuries during wound care procedures remain a constant challenge. This study will determine whether there is a difference in time to re-epithelialisation and pain and distress experienced during wound care procedures among ActicoatTM, ActicoatTM combined with MepitelTM and Mepilex AgTM dressings for acute, paediatric partial thickness burns. Engagement in scar management therapy typically occurs for 18 months or until scars reach maturity. While these scar management techniques are successful for some children in managing scars, there are inevitably children who require ongoing treatment of their scar tissue as they grow older. The initial care of the burn wound and choice of burn dressing are vital in creating the ideal healing environment to ensure rapid re-epithelialisation of the wound and to avoid the possibility of hypertrophic scarring
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
