Wound healing in second-degree burns in rats treated with silver sulfadiazine: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

This study aims to assess the wound healing efficacy in second-degree burns in rats treated with 1% silver sulfadiazine (SSD)-a sulfonamide antibiotic. This is a systematic literature review and meta-analysis performed according to the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes) strategy. The review found 100 studies in PubMed, Web of Science and other search engines. Of these, 70 studies were pre-selected after removing duplicates. After independent analysis by two reviewers, only seven studies met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. All studies except one showed faster wound closure by the application of silver sulfadiazine ointment. Using a random effects model, healing was faster in SSD-treated groups when compared to the control group on day 21, with a statistically significant mean difference of -2.72 days (95% confidence interval: -4.99, -0.45) between treatment and control groups (p<0.01). The results of this meta-analysis revealed that SSD aided in faster healing of second-degree burns.