Surgical wound dressing in outpatient paediatric surgery. A randomised study.

A comparison of two different wound dressings was carried out in a series of 88 paediatric patients. The patients were randomised to either Steristrip plus Cutiplast, a conventional absorbent wound dressing, or to DuoDERM, an occlusive adhesive dressing. The study, set up to show which was the most convenient dressing for minor outpatient surgery, focused on the psychological aspects of operative treatment of infants and children. The results showed that the DuoDERM group had fewer bandage changes than the Steristrip & Cutiplast group, although this was not significant. Significantly less pain was experienced on removal of the wound dressing in the DuoDERM group. When dressed with DuoDERM, children could be bathed in the immediate postoperative period without complication. In conclusion, an occlusive wound dressing (DuoDERM) seems to minimize the physical and psychological trauma to the infant or child and reduce the disruption to the child's and the parents' daily routines.