Presentation and Management Outcome of Childhood Scald Burns Managed With Hydrocolloid Dressings Compared With Silver Sulphadiazine Dressings.

Abstract

Scalds constitute the most common type of childhood burns. Given their potential for spontaneous healing, a variety of dressings are used to promote healing and prevent infection. This comparative study was carried out to document the clinical presentation of pediatric scald burns and evaluate their management outcome with hydrocolloid dressings versus silver sulphadiazine (SSD) in terms of complete healing, healing time, mean number of dressings required to achieve healing, and any need for split thickness skin grafting at three weeks. The study included all pediatric scald patients (aged ≤15 years) who presented with superficial partial-thickness and deep partial-thickness wounds during the study period. Exclusion criteria included children over the age of 15 years, facial scalds and full thickness scalds. Half of the patients were randomly assigned to the hydrocolloid group and half to the SSD group. Out of a total of 100 patients, 66% (n=66) were males whereas 34% (n=34) were females. Age ranged from 3 months to 15 years, with a mean of 2.88±2.86 years. Total body surface area (TBSA) affected ranged from 3% to 17% with a mean of 7.00±4.76%. The majority of the children (75%) were managed on an outpatient basis whereas 25% were hospitalized. Hydrocolloid dressings yielded superior results in terms of complete healing of the scalds, healing time, the mean number of dressings required to achieve healing, and less frequent need for split thickness skin grafting at three weeks. Given the observed benefits, hydrocolloid dressings should constitute the preferred choice of dressing for managing superficial and deep partial thickness scalds in the pediatric population.