Comparison between silver nitrate and table salt in the treatment of umbilical granuloma.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of table salt with silver nitrate in the treatment of umbilical granuloma presenting to the neonatal unit/paediatric department KTH. Study Design: Randomized Controlled Trial Setting: Neonatal Unit of Khyber Teaching Hospital. Period: November 2019 to November 2022. Methods: A total of 120 patients who presented to the neonatal unit/paediatric department, aged 15-60 days were enrolled in this study via consecutive sampling. Seventy-five patients each, were allocated to two groups, Group A (common salt) and Group B (silver nitrate). Sixteen patients from Group A whereas, in Group B, 17 patients were lost to follow-up. Results: A total of 58 out of the remaining 117 patients were female whereas 59 patients were male. Treatment response was recorded for both groups. The cure rate was greater among Group B (93%) as compared to Group A (88%) but there was no statistically significant difference between Group A and B in treatment response (p= 0.35). Conclusion: Table salt is a cheaper, easily accessible, and safe alternative to topical silver nitrate in the treatment of umbilical granuloma.