Suprathel Versus Xeroform for the Management of Skin Graft Donor Sites

University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver)

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Burns; Skin Graft Complications; Skin; Deformity

Treatments: Other: Suprathel or Xeroform donor site application

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04014400

19-1048

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators aim to study whether Suprathel, a synthetic temporary skin substitute developed by PolyMedics Innovations GmBH aids in the management of patient pain and wound healing when compared to the current standard dressing used of a primary Xeroform dressing.

Full description

Acute burn and donor site dressing changes are among the most traumatic and painful procedures performed on awake children and adults (7, 8). As a result, it is important to utilize dressings that: 1) stabilize open burn wounds and donor sites; 2) limit the frequency of dressing changes; 3) optimize burn wound and donor site healing; and 4) minimize scarring. Anecdotal evidence and a growing body of literature suggest that Suprathel may offer superior pain control and a decreased frequency of dressing changes, when compared to Xeroform.

At Children's Hospital Colorado, the standard of care is to use Xeroform to dress split thickness skin grafts and donor sites. Xeroform is an inexpensive, bacteriostatic, non-adherent petroleum gauze dressing that is supplied in strips, sheets and rolls. It is used to protect freshly skin grafted areas and donor sites, it is then covered with gauze followed by BandNet. When Xeroform is applied to a split thickness donor site, it adheres to the open wound bed, where it is allowed to dry out. As the donor site heals, the Xeroform begins to separate from the wound bed, until the Xeroform eventually sloughs off.

Suprathel is a biosynthetic dressing developed by PolyMedics Innovations in Germany. Potential advantages to the use of Suprathel include its water solubility, elongation capacity, and porosity, which prevents fluid accumulation at the burn site. In a prior study, Suprathel was associated with favorable burn scar formation (improved Vancouver Scar Scale Scores) and decreased pain with dressing changes. In another study, adolescent and adult burn patients dressed in Suprathel reported significantly less pain than those who were dressed in Mepilex dressings. In post-treatment surveys, patients preferred the use of Suprathel when compared to Mepitel. In a study that compared Suprathel to other standard burn dressings, there was no statistical difference in wound healing, scar formation, and epithelization. Given the limitations in sample size and scarce pediatric data in prior studies, further research is necessary to determine the efficacy of Suprathel in the pediatric population and whether this is a dressing material that should be offered to hospital patients.

New outpatients and inpatients who meet study inclusion criteria and require split-thickness skin grafting, will be randomized into the Suprathel group or the control group on the day of surgery. The investigators will use even calendar operative days for Suprathel and odd calendar operative days for Xeroform. Parental consent and/or patient assent will be obtained prior to the operative procedure.

Enrollment: 10 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 31 days to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Children 31 days old -17 years old
• Have a burn injury or open wound of any percentage TBSA
• Require a skin graft

Exclusion criteria

• allergy to one of the dressings involved in the study,
• burn in close proximity to the donor site,
• the donor site has been harvested in a previous surgery,
• prisoners,
• children under the protection of the department of human services,
• pregnant women,
• those with impaired decision-making capacity.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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10 participants in 2 patient groups

Suprathel

Experimental group

Description:

Once hemostasis is obtained, the Suprathel material will be handled with a new pair of sterile gloves. It will be cut so that the material extends 1-2 cm beyond the donor site margins, then applied to the donor site. The Suprathel will be secured with a protective layer of Rylon extending 1-2 cms beyond the margins of the Suprathel. The primary dressing will be covered with cotton gauze (4x4 fluff gauze pads) and wrapped with rolled gauze). The outer dressing will be changed 7-10 days post-op. The Suprathel and Rylon will remain in place until they can be easily peeled off. To facilitate the pain-free and easy removal of the primary Suprathel dressing, practioners will apply Vaseline or lotion to saturate and loosen the material. The patients will be followed on average about once per week in an outpatient clinic until the Suprathel (and Rylon) are removed, but they may continue to be seen until the STSG is fully healed.

Treatment:

Other: Suprathel or Xeroform donor site application

Xeroform

Active Comparator group

Description:

After hemostasis occurs, the Xeroform dressing will be handled with a new pair of sterile gloves and cut so that the material extends 1-2 cm beyond the donor site margins, then applied to the donor site. The primary dressing will be covered with cotton gauze (4x4 fluff gauze pads) and wrapped with rolled gauze (Kerlix). The outer dressing will be changed 7-10 days post-op. The Xeroform will remain in place until it can be easily peeled off. To facilitate the pain-free and easy removal of the Xeroform dressing, practioners may apply Vaseline or lotion to saturate and loosen the material. The patients will be followed on average about once per week in an outpatient clinic until the Xeroform is removed, but they may continue to be seen until the STSG is fully healed.

Treatment:

Other: Suprathel or Xeroform donor site application