The Particulars: The optimal dressing material for patients with donor-site wounds (DSWs) after split-skin grafting has not been well established in published investigations.
Data Breakdown: Researchers compared six commonly used dressing materials for patients with DSWs larger than 10 cm2 for any indication. Time to complete re-epithelization was an average of 16 days using hydrocolloid dressings, compared with an average of 23 days with other dressings assessed in the analysis, which included alginate, film, gauze, and hydrofiber, silicone. The authors noted that the infection rate with gauze was 18%, compared with 9% for other dressings. Those who received films were least satisfied with overall scar quality.
Take Home Pearls: Hydrocolloid dressings appear to allow for shorter healing times when compared with other commonly used materials for DSWs. Infection rates with gauze appear to be twice as high as those with other materials.
