The Burn Glove Trial-A Randomized Controlled Trial of Dressings for Partial Thickness Hand Burns

Various products are on the market and available for use on partial thickness burns to the hand/s. Our current institutional standard of care is to use Xeroform Gauze (Coviden, Mansfield, MA) and Bacitracin Ointment (Fougera, Melville, NY) to promote a moist antibacterial healing environment with the ability to monitor the healing progress daily. However, silver (AG) based dressings that employ nanocrystalline technology with hydrofiber (Aquacel AG burn; ConvaTec, Princeton, NJ) or soft silicone foam (Mepilex AG ; Molnlycke Health Care, Dunstable, United Kingdom) have been well accepted as alternative dressing solutions. These dressings have longer interval times between changes, leading to a reported increase in patient comfort, diminished skin shearing/stripping, and rapid re-epithelialization.

Given the anatomic intricacies, partial thickness burns to the hand present a challenge in dressing selection. Recently, ConvaTec unveiled the Aquacel AG Burn Glove for use on partial thickness hand burns. In line with this idea, our institution has now begun to fashion a novel burn glove out of Mepilex Transfer AG with good success. To date there are no known studies that compare Xeroform/Bacitracin, Aquacel AG burn glove or Mepilex Transfer AG dressing. The goal of this study is to compare these three burn dressings used to treat partial-thickness hand burns and their impact on pain, function, and aesthetic outcomes. We will also explore psychosocial issues related to hand burn dressing changes.