The Efficacy of Biobrane in Managing Superficial Paediatric Burn Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Burn injuries in the paediatric population are common and account for a substantial proportion of hospital attendances, leading to a growing focus on optimising wound care to enhance healing, reduce discomfort and minimise the need for frequent dressing changes. Traditional dressings for superficial burns in children have inherent limitations that may hinder these goals. Biobrane (Dow Hickman/Bertek Pharmaceuticals, Sugar Land, TX), a semi-permeable silicone device embedded with a nylon mesh and a porcine-derived collagen matrix, offers a promising alternative with advantages such as improved wound healing, reduced pain and fewer dressing changes. This systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, assessed the efficacy of Biobrane by analysing data from MEDLINE, PubMed, EMCare, Cochrane Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and additional clinical trial registries up to 8 June 2024. Primary outcomes included burn wound healing time, hospital length of stay and infection rate, while secondary outcomes assessed the need for split-thickness skin grafts (STSGs), pain and the number of dressing changes. Data synthesis using the OpenMetaAnalyst software (Brown University, Providence, RI) encompassed 781 burn wounds across 12 studies. The results showed that Biobrane significantly shortened wound healing time (mean difference, MD: 5.168 days, p = 0.001) and hospital length of stay (MD: 2.009 days, p < 0.001) compared to standard dressings. The infection rate was comparable (odds ratio, OR: 2.457, p = 0.132), and there was no difference in the requirement for STSGs (OR: 0.965, p = 0.956). This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate that Biobrane is an effective treatment for superficial paediatric burn injuries, offering faster wound healing, reduced pain and shorter hospital stays compared to traditional dressings.