Recent introduction of rapid bromelain-based enzymatic debridement has been increasingly popular in its use in nonsurgical debridement in deep partial and full thickness burns. We designed this study to evaluate the evidence suggested by current studies on the perceived benefits of using Nexobrid® compared with traditional surgical standard of care in burns wound debridement. A comprehensive search on electronic databases Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science was done to identify studies published between 1986 and 2017 involving the use of Nexobrid® in deep partial and full thickness burns. Studies were evaluated for proposed benefits and categorized under supporting evidence, contradicting evidence, and anecdotal opinions. Seven well-designed prospective studies met the inclusion comprising four randomized controlled trials. Six proposed benefits associated with the use of Nexobrid® were extracted including reduced time to complete debridement, need for surgery, area of burns excised, need for autograft, time to wound closure, and improved scar quality. Most proposed benefits have strong supporting evidences with minimal anecdotal opinions from controlled trials except the proposed improvement in scar quality and reduced time to wound healing that had at least three refuting evidence and one anecdotal evidence. Incidence of pain was also evaluated and was mainly anecdotal lacking formal objective assessment or cohort study. Despite the lack of literatures available, the benefits of Nexobrid® are evident in published randomized and single arm studies. Large number of studies is needed to aid further evaluating the proposed benefits of Nexobrid®.

We describe a case of the combined use of acellular dermal matrix and pedicled buccal fat pad (BFP) in a wide U-shaped cleft palate repair. Acellular dermal matrix was used as a “patch” repair for the nasal mucosa defect as opposed to the conventional inlay graft. The advantages include reduced cost and a smaller avascular graft load. Lateral relaxing incisions were made to ensure tension-free closure of oromucosa at midline. Lateral oromucosa defect closure with well-vascularized pedicled BFP ensures enhanced healing, less palatal contracture and shortening, and reduced infection. The palate healed with mucosalization at 2 weeks, and no complications were noted at 6 months follow-up.

Complex wounds with exposed critical structures such as tendon and bone are a conundrum in wound management, especially in the setting where the patient is not a suitable candidate for flap surgery. While the individual use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and oxidised regenerated cellulose (ORC)/collagen/silver (PROMOGRAN PRISMA) dressing has been described in the literature, there are little data on the efficacy of their combined use. In this study, we describe a novel technique of combining the use of NPWT and ORC/collagen/silver dressings to manage complex wound beds as an alternative management option for patients not suitable for reconstructive flap surgery. This technique was performed in a series of 37 patients with complex lower‐extremity wounds that were not healing with conventional NPWT alone. All patients had open wounds with exposed critical structures that were difficult to manage, such as exposed tendon, bone, deep crevices, and joint. Successful coverage of exposed critical structures was achieved in 89% of patients, and coverage was achieved within 28 days of combination therapy in 82% of these patients, without any complications. The novel technique of combining ORC/collagen/silver dressing and NPWT provides a useful option in the armamentarium of a reconstructive surgeon dealing with difficult complex lower‐extremity wounds.

Purpura fulminans is a serious condition that can result in severe morbidity in the pediatric population. Although autologous skin grafts remain the gold standard for the coverage of partial-to full-thickness wounds, they have several limitations in pediatric patients, including the lack of planar donor sites, the risk of hemodynamic instability, and the limited graft thickness. In Singapore, an in-house skin culture laboratory has been available since 2005 for the use of cultured epithelial autografts (CEAs), especially in burn wounds. However, due to the fragility of CEAs, negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) dressings have been rarely used with CEAs. With several modifications, we report a successful case of NPWT applied over a CEA in an infant who sustained 30% total body surface area full-thickness wounds over the anterior abdomen, flank, and upper thigh secondary to purpura fulminans. We also describe the advantages of using NPWT dressing over a CEA, particularly in pediatric patients.