Pressure garment therapy (PGT) of burn scars: evidence-based efficacy

Hypertrophic burn scars pose a challenge for burn survivors and providers. In many cases, they can severely limit a burn survivor's level of function, including work and recreational activities. A widespread modality of prevention and treatment of hypertrophic scarring is the utilization of pressure garment therapy (PGT). Despite the magnitude of the problem of hypertrophic scarring and the ubiquitous use of pressure garments as therapy, strong clinical evidence of the efficacy of PGT in the literature is lacking. Some of the challenges facing measurement of efficacy of PGT on hypertrophic scarring are lack of clear definitions for degree of hypertrophic scarring, inability to quantify pressure applied to scars, patient noncompliance to strict PGT time schedules, and inability to conduct randomized controlled trials comparing PGT to no therapy for ethical reasons since PGT is considered a standard of care. In this review, we attempt to summarize and analyze evidence-based literature on PGT and its efficacy in burn hypertrophic scars published in English language in the past 15 years.