Silver sulfadiazine versus sustained-release silver dressings in the treatment of burns: A surprising result

Abstract

Introduction: In recent times, there has been an increased use of dressings containing silver. Although there are many studies showing the impact of sustained-release silver foam dressings on microbial assay, there is a scarcity of studies on clinical and economical parameters. This study highlights the comparison between sustained-release silver dressings and 1% silver sulfadiazine (SSD) with respect to patient comfort, its impact on wound healing, and cost estimation in patients with burns. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted from 1st August 2015 to 31st December 2015. Patients with second-degree burns (scald and flame burns) covering 20–60% of the total body surface area and belonging to the age group from 18 to 60 years were selected. The patients were divided into the following groups on alternate basis: Group 1–dressing with 1% SSD; Group 2–dressing with sustained-release silver dressings. The following variables were used: pain during change of dressing using visual analogue scale (VAS) score, the percentage of wound healing on the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th days on the anterior and posterior trunk using graphs, duration of hospital stay, cost calculation accounting for dressings and hospital expenses. Results: Statistical analysis showed an advantage of sustained-release silver foam dressing over SSD with respect to reduced pain on the basis of VAS score on the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th days (7.47, 6.27, 3.8, and 3.87 in Group 1 vs. 4.4, 3.13, 2.53, and 1.93 in Group 2) with P Conclusion: Comparative study shows that sustained-release silver foam dressing has faster wound healing, lesser pain with earlier hospital discharge than SSD, and lesser expenses when total hospital burden was accounted.