[Debridement of burn wounds: rationale and options]

Debridement describes the removal of devitalised tissue and debris (to reduce the toxic and bacterial burden) from a wound. In thermally injured tissue, the adoption of excisional strategies has been shown to improve both morbidity as well as mortality, albeit at the expense of creating new donor wounds. Tangential debridement is performed with surgical steel (i.e., Humby or Goulian knife). Other modalities like enzymatic ointments and hydrosurgical systems have shown promise in refining the debridement process, affording a measure of control with respect to the depth of debridement.