Miner Samantha A, Lee Jonathan, Protzman Nicole M, Brigido Stephen A
Coordinated Health-Lehigh Valley Health Network, Bethlehem, PA, USA.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Manchester, NH, USA.
Scars Burn Heal. 2022 Sep 29;8:20595131221122303. doi: 10.1177/20595131221122303. eCollection 2022 Jan-Dec.
Silver hydrogel dressings are antimicrobial dressings with the potential to aid post-surgical healing. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of a silver hydrogel dressing on postoperative scarring and complications.
40 foot and ankle patients (48.43 ± 16.82 years) were included in the study with 20 patients in each group. Postoperatively, the treatment group was treated with a silver hydrogel sheet dressing, and the control group was treated with a standard petroleum-based dressing. Follow-up was performed at two, six, and 12 weeks. Postoperative scarring and complications were evaluated and compared between groups. Scarring was evaluated using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). Scar length and width were measured using digital calipers and used to compute scar area.
The treatment group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the POSAS observer score and observer opinion at six and 12 weeks ( < 0.001). Additionally, patient reported pain was significantly lower for the treatment group than the control group at 12 weeks ( < 0.001). Patient reported itch declined across time for both groups ( < 0.001) with significantly less itching reported by the treatment group ( = 0.027). Scar area was also significantly lower for the treatment group than the control group at six weeks and 12 weeks ( ≤ 0.002). Neither group experienced any postoperative complications.
These results suggest that the inherent properties of the silver hydrogel dressing may improve postsurgical scarring.
Surgical incisions result in scar, which can present both cosmetic and rehabilitation concerns after foot or ankle surgery. It is standard to use a petroleum-based dressing on incisions after surgery, however, advancements in incisional dressings have been made over the past 20 years. One such advancement is silver-impregnated hydrogel sheet dressings which have been shown to maintain a moist wound environment conducive to healing, while decreasing the chance of infection through its antimicrobial properties. This paper evaluates scar healing after foot or ankle surgery in patients treated with either the standard petroleum-based dressing, or the silver hydrogel sheet dressing. Patients who were treated with the silver hydrogel dressing had less itching and pain, as well as a smaller scar area than patients in the standard dressing group. Therefore, our results suggest that the silver hydrogel dressing may improve scarring after surgery.
银水凝胶敷料是一种抗菌敷料，具有辅助术后愈合的潜力。本研究旨在评估银水凝胶敷料对术后瘢痕形成及并发症的影响。
40例足踝部患者（年龄48.43±16.82岁）纳入本研究，每组20例。术后，治疗组采用银水凝胶片敷料治疗，对照组采用标准的石油基敷料治疗。在术后2周、6周和12周进行随访。对两组患者的术后瘢痕形成情况及并发症进行评估和比较。采用患者和观察者瘢痕评估量表（POSAS）评估瘢痕情况。使用数字卡尺测量瘢痕长度和宽度，并用于计算瘢痕面积。
治疗组在术后6周和12周时，POSAS观察者评分及观察者意见方面有统计学意义的显著改善（<0.001）。此外，在术后12周时，治疗组患者自述疼痛明显低于对照组（<0.001）。两组患者自述瘙痒均随时间下降（<0.001），且治疗组瘙痒程度明显较轻（=0.027）。治疗组瘢痕面积在术后6周和12周时也明显低于对照组（≤0.002）。两组均未出现任何术后并发症。
这些结果表明，银水凝胶敷料的固有特性可能改善术后瘢痕形成。
手术切口会形成瘢痕，在足踝部手术后可能会出现美观和康复方面的问题。术后在切口上使用石油基敷料是标准做法，然而，在过去20年中，切口敷料有了进展。其中一项进展是含银水凝胶片敷料，已证明其能维持有利于愈合的湿润伤口环境，同时通过其抗菌特性降低感染几率。本文评估了采用标准石油基敷料或银水凝胶片敷料治疗的足踝部手术患者的瘢痕愈合情况。与标准敷料组患者相比，接受银水凝胶敷料治疗的患者瘙痒和疼痛较轻，瘢痕面积也较小。因此，我们的结果表明，银水凝胶敷料可能改善术后瘢痕形成。
