Foot & ankle specialist
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Foot & ankle specialist · Dec 2013
Comparative StudyUtilization of silver hydrogel sheet dressing on postsurgical incisions: a pilot study in foot and ankle surgery.
Silver hydrogel dressings are antimicrobial, nonadherent, and have an absorptive capacity many times their weight. Fifty-nine (49.44 ± 16.85 years) foot and ankle patients with incisions >1 cm were prospectively enrolled to compare infection, scarring, and complication rates between the postoperative use of a silver hydrogel sheet (SHS) dressing and a standard petroleum-based (P) dressing. Overall, there were 5 (8.47%) infections; 4 (6.78%) superficial and 1 (1.69%) deep. ⋯ Compared with SHS patients, the P patients had a greater incidence of incisional complications (1 [3.45%] vs 8 [26.67%], respectively; P = .03). The percent change in scar length was greater in the SHS group (18.04 ± 41.10%) when compared with the P group (2.00 ± 9.93%; P < .001) while the percent change in scar width was similar in the 2 groups (P = .19). The lower incidence of incisional complications and the greater reduction in scar length suggest that the inherent properties of the silver hydrogel dressing aid in postsurgical healing.