Comparison of Hydrogel Produced by Radiation as Applied at the Research Center (Yazd Branch) With MaxGel and Routine Dressing for Second-Degree Burn Repair in Yazd Burn Hospital

Abstract

BackgroundRecently, the radiation application research center for the atomic energy organization of Yazd (Iran) has developed a hydrogel dressing which was evaluated for quality and safety in 2008. Its efficacy for assisting in the wound healing process was approved for animal use, and its use has proven to be more effective than a related Syrian material.ObjectivesWe have already confirmed the safety and efficacy of Irgel use on mice (1, 2), so this study was conducted in order to further evaluate its effectiveness on human burn wounds, and to compare its efficacy with MaxGel, another hydrogel. A randomized clinical trial study was conducted to compare the efficacy of hydrogel produced by the radiation application research center (Yazd Branch) with MaxGel and routine dressing on burn repair in the Yazd Burn hospital.Materials and MethodsIn this study, 90 patients with second-degree burn injuries who were admitted to the Yazd Burn hospital were randomly divided into three equal groups. In the negative control group, the wounds were covered with sterile vaseline gauze followed by double sterile dry gauze and ultimately bandaged. In the test group, the wounds were covered by an Iranian hydrogel sheet (Irgel) instead of vaseline gauze, while in the positive control group, the wounds were covered by MaxGel instead of Irgel. At each visit (every other day), each dressing was renewed by its respective method and the wound area, pain score, and body temperature were recorded. At the beginning and at the end of the first and second week, five milliliters of venous blood were taken from all patients to evaluate hematologic parameters such as peripheral blood cell count, liver function, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine.ResultsBefore the intervention, the extent of the burns and pain sensations were quite similar among the different groups, but at the second week, the burn areas and pain scores for the Irgel group were significantly less than those of the normal control and the positive control groups (P < 0.05).ConclusionsBased on our findings, both gels assist in the process of burn wound healing and pain reduction more effectively as compared with routine dressing. However, Irgel had better effects on wound healing and pain relief than MaxGel, which indicates a better quality of Irgel for this particular kind of treatment.

Evaluation of Bacterial Cellulose Dressing versus Vaseline Gauze in Partial Thickness Burn Wounds and Skin Graft Donor Sites: A Two-Center Randomized Controlled Clinical Study

“…However, it took more than 12 days for superficial burn wounds to heal in the previous study [ 18 ]. In other RCTs, VG was used as a control to compare the efficacies of other dressings, and the healing time was longer and the healing rate was lower than in this study [ 32 , 33 ].…”

“…VG dressing has been used widely for the treatment of second-degree burn wounds or skin graft donor sites in clinical setting and as a reference for the evaluation of new dressing materials [ 18 , 32 – 34 ]. BC has many intrinsic characteristics; it is nontoxic and biocompatible, and its high capacity of water retention makes it an ideal material for burn wound dressing [ 9 ].…”