title: Adhesive retention dressings are more comfortable than alginate dressings on split-skin-graft donor sites.
abstract: Painful split-skin-graft donor sites remain a common problem for patients. We undertook a prospective randomised trial to examine the comparative comfort and ease of care of two different donor-site dressings. One dressing is the alginate Kaltostat, the standard plastic-surgical dressing in the UK and abroad, and the other is the adhesive retention tape Mefix, a novel use of a readily available dressing. We randomised 50 patients requiring split-skin grafts to receive either alginate (Kaltostat) or retention (Mefix) donor-site dressings. Dressings were assessed by interview and questionnaire at 24, 72 h and 2 weeks, and by wound review at 2 weeks. Retention dressings were found to be more comfortable, required less nursing intervention and allowed patients easier mobility with a greater range of daily activities, especially washing, without compromising wound healing. We recommend adhesive retention dressings as cost-effective comfortable dressings, which readily conform to any donor site.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hormbrey
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pandya
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Giele
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000269:Adhesives; D000464:Alginates; D001458:Bandages / Q000592:standards*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006801:Humans; D009779:Occlusive Dressings / Q000592:standards; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000269:Adhesives; D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid