title: Evaluation of calcium alginate for skin graft donor sites.
abstract: Choosing the most appropriate wound dressing is of importance in optimizing healing and minimizing pain. Recent reports have suggested an improvement in wound healing with calcium alginate. To clinically evaluate this new dressing, 12 paired wounds were covered with either calcium alginate or scarlet red in seven patients with burns undergoing skin grafting. The rate of reepithelialization was assessed by optical planimetry for the calcium alginate and by time for sloughing of the scarlet red. This comparison failed to demonstrate objectively any difference in the rate of wound healing between these dressings; however, calcium alginate did significantly reduce the pain severity and was favored by the nursing personnel because of its ease of care. Thus calcium alginate does appear to have clinical advantages as a dressing for skin graft donor sites.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Virginia, Department of Surgery, Richmond 23298-0475, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bettinger
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gore
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Humphries
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001458:Bandages; D016527:Drug Costs; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000451:nursing / Q000473:pathology*; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D001391:Azo Compounds; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; C009213:Scarlet Red