Comparison between foam dressings impregnated with ionic silver and silver sulfadiazine cream 1% in treating deep burns

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of foam dressings impregnated with ionic silver (AgF) compared to the traditional treatment of 1% silver sulfadiazine cream (SSD) in deep burns (deep dermal and full-thickness burns) and assess the cost-effectiveness ratio between the two treatments. METHOD: This was a randomised clinical trial of patients who were divided into two equal-sized treatment groups: Group 1-SSD or Group 2 - AgF. Inclusion criteria were patients aged between 18-60 years with burns of thermal origin affecting 10-30% of the body surface area, and with a comparable percentage of deep burns. The following outcomes were analysed: pain; discomfort; wound infection; need for new grafting; ease of dressing application; length of stay; and cost of treatment. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients took part (20 in each group). Regarding patients' experience of pain, data analysis revealed more effective pain control in patients treated with AgF. Additionally, the AgF dressing was considered safer, more comfortable and presented an average lower cost of 30.6% compared to the SSD. CONCLUSION: The findings of this trial showed that, compared to the SSD, the AgF dressings were more effective in treating deep burns, to prepare them for skin graft surgery.