[Comparison of the efficacy between exposure and moist ointment method in major burns: a report of 55 cases]

Exposure therapy was compared with moist ointment method in 55 patients suffering from middle and large sized burns. Invasive infection occurred in 5 cases among 29 patients who were managed with exposure method, a rate of 17.2%, and one of them died as a result of infection, constituting a mortality rate 3.4%. On the other hand, 11 out of 26 patients (42.3%) who were treated with moist ointment developed septicemia, and 3 patients died of the infection (11.5%). The difference of both rate of invasive infection and mortality was statistically significant between two groups. In order to control the invasive infection we terminated moist ointment therapy in 3 cases, and 2 of them survived. To our opinion, the moist ointment does not do well on third-degree burn, especially in children with large and middle sized burns because of the ensuing rampant infection.