The rate of re-epithelialization across meshed skin grafts is increased with exposure to silver

The objective in this study was to determine whether exposure to pure silver increases the rate of re-epithelialization across a partial thickness wound. A meshed skin graft, placed on an excised burn wound was used as a healing model. Methods: The rate of meshed skin graft epithelial closure on an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Burns 2002-05, Vol.28 (3), p.264-266
Main Authors: Demling, Robert H., Leslie DeSanti, M.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use
Bandages
Biological and medical sciences
Burns - drug therapy
Burns - physiopathology
Dermatology
Epithelialization
Graft Survival
Humans
Medical sciences
Moist healing
Neomycin - therapeutic use
Polyesters - therapeutic use
Polyethylenes - therapeutic use
Silver
Silver - therapeutic use
Skin involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous. General aspects
Skin plastic surgery
Skin Transplantation
Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases
Wound Healing - drug effects
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The objective in this study was to determine whether exposure to pure silver increases the rate of re-epithelialization across a partial thickness wound. A meshed skin graft, placed on an excised burn wound was used as a healing model. Methods: The rate of meshed skin graft epithelial closure on an exposed burn using a moist healing environment was shown. A moistened silver delivery system (Acticoat) was compared with a standard xeroform and eight ply gauze dressing continually moistened with a 0.01% neomycin and polymyxin solution (NP). Twenty burn patients with deep burns of over 15% of TBS were excised and grafted with 2:1 meshed grafts. One graft area was treated with the antibiotic solution and another with the silver delivery. The meshed graft was performed within 3 days of injury. Results: No infections were noted and quantitative swab cultures gave less than 10 2 bacteria in all cases at wound closure. At day 7, re-epithelialization was complete with silver and 55% closed with NP solution. Wound closure was complete in the NP solution group at day 10. Silver increased re-epithelialization rate by over 40%, a significant increase. Graft take was over 95% in both groups. Conclusion: Silver released in a moist wound surface environment significantly increases the rate of re-epithelialization compared to a standard antibiotic solution.
ISSN:0305-4179
1879-1409
DOI:10.1016/S0305-4179(01)00119-X