A prospective descriptive study of Cutimed Sorbact® used as a skin substitute for the treatment of partial thickness burn wounds

Abstract

Introduction: We used Cutimed Sorbact^® as a skin substitute based on earlier observations that partial thickness burns seemed to heal underneath it without problems. Material and Methods: Twenty-seven patients with superficial and mid-partial thickness burns were included. Deep partial thickness and full-thickness burns were excluded. Wound assessment was done twice a week by the first author in conjunction with the co-authors. The factors assessed included wound bed appearance, slough, pus, biofilm, granulation, epithelium, smoothness and colour. Results: Most wounds appeared clean (59%), dry (51%) and pink (51%). About a third (27%) appeared healed and there was depth progression in two patients (< 10%). The dressing was not associated with any subjective noticeable pain. Complication related to the dressing at removal was minor punctate bleeding points in five patients (5/27; 18.5%). Conclusion: Cutimed Sorbact^® is a very cost-effective addition to the available skin substitutes in our teaching hospital. It can be classified as a bio-synthetic skin substitute with antibacterial and antiviral properties.