• P M Glat, S-H Zhang, B A Burkey, and W J Davis.
• Drexel University College of Medicine, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA.
• J Wound Care. 2015 Apr 1; 24 Suppl 4a: S4-S10.

ObjectiveMepilex Ag, a silver-impregnated foam dressing, was introduced to our institution in 2007 and our outcomes in the treatment of paediatric burns were observed to improve significantly. In order to confirm these observations, we wanted to evaluate the results of using the silver-impregnated foam dressing in partial-thickness paediatric burns.MethodIn this retrospective study, the St. Christopher's Hospital burn registry was used to identify subjects, who were otherwise in excellent health at baseline, over an18-month period. Outcomes included length of stay, intravenous narcotic use, and time to healing. No direct comparative studies were performed. This was followed by a non-comparative prospective study involving 22 paediatric patients, aged 1-4 years, with partial-thickness burns. This was a sub-study of a larger randomised controlled trial involving adults with partial-thickness burns, comparing the silver-impregnated foam dressing with Silvadene.ResultsIn the retrospective part of the study, the silver-impregnated foam dressing was used successfully for the treatment of partial-thickness paediatric burns, with few complications and infections, allowing a shorter hospital stay, fewer dressings, and less pain medication than for historical controls. In the non-comparative prospective study, of 22 paediatric patients 50% healed completely within 1 week of treatment. The mean length of stay was 3.77 days and the mean number of dressings used was 1.64. Although narcotic usage was not assessed, patient surveys showed stinging or burning to be recorded as 'never' in 13 patients, 'rarely' in 8 patients, and 'sometimes' in 1 patient.ConclusionThe silver-impregnated foam dressing is effective and safe for use in partial-thickness paediatric burns, eliminating the need for daily dressings.Declaration Of InterestThe study was supported by an educational grant from Mölnlycke Health Care.

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