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A retrospective analysis of Drawtex hydroconductive dressing compared with standard silver sulphadiazine mixed with a hydrogel, in an adult provincial tertiary burn centre in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

W G Kleintjes, H Du Plooy, E P Kotzee

Abstract


Background. The standard of care for slough and exudative burn wounds in our unit is a combination of Intrasite gel and Flamazine.

Objective. To analyse our standard of care method in comparison with Drawtex hydroconductive dressings.

Methods. A retrospective record review was done of a 3-month period in 2016 during which we had a large amount of the hydroconductive dressing available. The inclusion criteria were the use of Drawtex on the wounds of patients who were not operated on within 48 hours of dressing application, where there was another wound of the same depth on an opposite limb, on which a control dressing was used. The exclusion criteria were skin-grafted areas and patients who had had operations within 48 hours.

Results. There were 100 patients with acute burn wounds admitted in the period from February to April 2016. A limited quantity of Drawtex had been donated. The total number of patients with complete clinical documentation available was 39. Of these, 36 met the inclusion criteria, with 48 wounds treated. Eleven patients had wounds that could be assessed with controls, but only 8 had adequate follow-up data for study. Of the eligible 36 patients, 28 were treated with Drawtex without the use of control areas. Eight patients were found who had good control areas for comparison. Drawtex was clearly better than control areas by such a large margin that during the application period in 2016, the control treatment areas were abandoned for Drawtex, hence the low number of controls. Drawtex was also found to be less expensive when a cost comparison was done.

Conclusion. The study found that Drawtex delivered better results than the control method, and was more cost-effective than our standard operating procedure. Therefore, we recommend Drawtex for burns with moderate to highly exuding wounds with slough.


Authors' affiliations

W G Kleintjes, Western Cape Provincial Tertiary Adult Burn Unit, Division of Surgery, Tygerberg Hospital, and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

H Du Plooy, Western Cape Provincial Tertiary Adult Burn Unit, Division of Surgery, Tygerberg Hospital, and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

E P Kotzee, Western Cape Provincial Tertiary Adult Burn Unit, Division of Surgery, Tygerberg Hospital, and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

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Cite this article

South African Journal of Plastic & Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgery & Burns 2019;2(1):20-25. DOI:10.7196/SAJPRASB.2019.v2i1.8

Article History

Date submitted: 2019-06-05
Date published: 2019-06-05

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