burn donor site dressing using melolin and flexigrid versus conventional dressing

Background: burn donor site care is one of the most important concerns in burn surgery. traditional dressings for donor sites have some disadvantages, which interfere with epithelial growth and final results. objectives: this study evaluated the role of a novel complex dressing in the management of donor burn site. patients and methods: after harvesting skin graft from the donor site, two different methods of dressing were selected. in control group (53 patients), traditional dressing was put on the donor site, but in investigation group (54 patients), a combination dressing consist of an absorbent dressing (melolin) and a protective transparent film (flexigrid) was used. results: epithelialization time was approximately 2.5 times shorter in the investigational group (p < 0.05). the infection rates were 4% and 21% (p < 0.05) in the investigation and control groups, respectively. hospitalization time was decreased significantly, thus decreasing the final cost of about 25%. cosmetic results were better in the investigation group and more acceptable than the control group. conclusions: this new technique of dressing in burn donor sites not only can decrease the epithelialization time, but also can lead to better cosmetic results, lower infection rates and decreased final costs; thus, recommendable for all skin donor sites in burn.