Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Painful split-skin-graft donor sites remain a common problem for patients. We undertook a prospective randomised trial to examine the comparative comfort and ease of care of two different donor-site dressings. One dressing is the alginate Kaltostat, the standard plastic-surgical dressing in the UK and abroad, and the other is the adhesive retention tape Mefix, a novel use of a readily available dressing. We randomised 50 patients requiring split-skin grafts to receive either alginate (Kaltostat) or retention (Mefix) donor-site dressings. Dressings were assessed by interview and questionnaire at 24, 72 h and 2 weeks, and by wound review at 2 weeks. Retention dressings were found to be more comfortable, required less nursing intervention and allowed patients easier mobility with a greater range of daily activities, especially washing, without compromising wound healing. We recommend adhesive retention dressings as cost-effective comfortable dressings, which readily conform to any donor site.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/s0007-1226(03)00195-4

Type

Journal article

Journal

Br J Plast Surg

Publication Date

07/2003

Volume

56

Pages

498 - 503

Keywords

Activities of Daily Living, Adhesives, Alginates, Bandages, Glucuronic Acid, Hexuronic Acids, Humans, Occlusive Dressings, Pain Measurement, Pain, Postoperative, Patient Satisfaction, Postoperative Care, Prospective Studies, Skin Transplantation, Wound Healing