Topical treatment of burn wounds with chloroxidating solution and silver sulfadiazine: a comparative study

The present paper reports the results of clinical and laboratory tests carried out on two homogeneous groups of ten burn patients subjected to local therapy, either with isotonic chloroxidating solution Amuchina* or with 1% silver sulfadiazine cream at the Burns Centre of the Pisa University Dermatological Clinic. The local systemic behaviour of the patients examined was evaluated for the containment of septic complications at the burn site. In the group subjected to treatment with chloroxidating solution, sepsis appeared to have a lower incidence in the evolution of dermatitis in the phase of escharolysis, in the formation of granulation tissue, and in the attachment of cutaneous grafts. The systemic involvement (temperature curve, etc.) appeared to be more marked for some patients treated with silver sulfadiazine in response to septic aggression of the burn wounds. On the basis of data referring to the development of the wound granulation and the temperature curve, as well as the microbial presence and the subjective tolerance of the medication, the comparison was favourable, making all necessary allowances, to topical treatment with electrolytic chloroxidating solution; other comparative data were at the limit of significance.