A SILICONE GEL SHEET DRESSING CONTAINING AN ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT FOR SPLIT THICKNESS DONOR SITE WOUNDS

Treatment of a split thickness donor site wound in 20 patients by means of a silicone gel sheet containing Ofloxacin, an antimicrobial agent, has been tested. For a comparison, each wound was divided into two parts, one for the silicone gel treatment and the other with a collagen sheet (10 cases) or an ointment-impregnated gauze (10 cases). AlthoughStaphylococcus aureus was detected in three wounds treated with the collagen sheet, no wound treated with the silicone gel developed an infection even though the infected wound was adjacent. Results have shown that prompt epithelialisation occurred in the silicone gel-covered wounds, with little exudate and pain compared to wounds treated with either of the dressings. Although some wounds treated with the silicone gel tended to exhibit a slightly prolonged redness compared to wounds treated with an ointment-impregnated gauze, no subsequent cosmetic problem resulted. © 1990 The Trustees of British Association of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved.