Mölnlycke News
Mepilex Ag in the management of partial-thickness burns: A review of the clinical evidence
May 3, 2022
Pawlak, U., Davies, P., Wounds International 2022
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Burns, their management and associated challenges:
- Many challenges associated with burn management, including
slow wound healing, infection, pain, contractures and
hypertrophic scarring. - Reducing the risk of infection is considered to be the highest
priority.
Silver as a topical antimicrobial agent:
- Ionised silver is an appropriate topical antimicrobial for the
prevention of acute infection in individuals at increased risk, to
treat localised wound infection and, in conjunction with systemic
antibiotics, to treat local spreading or systemic wound infection. - Silver is recommended as a topical antimicrobial agent for burns
by the International Wound Infection Institute.
Mepilex® Ag:
- Indicated for use on a variety of different wound types including
partial-thickness burns, with low-to-medium exudate levels,
where management of infection risk is required. - Strong evidence base supporting its effectiveness, both in terms
of healing and associated cost benefits. - The soft silicone wound contact layer is designed to help
minimise wound and peri-wound trauma and associated pain.
Clinical evidence:
- Seven randomised controlled trials (RCTs); outcomes reported
include healing/time to healing, pain assessment, infection, scar
outcome, cost-effectiveness, patient and clinician perspectives. - In the majority of these studies, Mepilex Ag was associated with
faster times to healing/re-epithelialisation, reduced pain, fewer
dressing changes and faster dressing change time, significant
and measurable cost-savings, savings of other resources (e.g.
analgesics due to reduced pain and reduced staff time), overall
ease of use, and patient and clinician satisfaction, compared to
the comparator dressing regimens utilised in the studies. Where
studied, scar quality outcomes were positive for Mepilex Ag.
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Conclusions
Mepilex Ag has consistently delivered good clinical and health economic outcomes when compared to a variety of other wound care products, such as silver-containing topical preparations, silver-containing dressings, and semi-biological dressings, when used for the management of partial-thickness burns, in both adults and children.
