Convatec shows benefits of Aquacel burns treatment

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced the findings of a new phase III study which demonstrated the cost savings of its Aquacel burns treatment over silver sulfadiazine cream.

Aquacel, an antimicrobial dressing laced with a silver-ion compound, was compared with silver sulfadiazine on patients with superficial, mid-dermal burns of mixed partial thickness afflicting five to 40 per cent of the body.

The results showed that 73.8 per cent of patients using Aquacel achieved full reepithelialisation – or re-covering of the skin – in 21 days, compared to 60 per cent of silver sulfadiazine users. Bristol-Myers Squibb said that this represented cost savings to the hospital of $560 (297 pounds) per burn healed, with the total cost of clinical care being $1,040 dollars for Aquacel patients in comparison to those using silver sulfadiazine.

Daniel M. Caruso, chairman of the department of durgery and medical director of the Arizona Burn Centre at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, said: “Partial thickness, or second degree, burns are the most common type of burn seen by clinicians worldwide.”

“The implications of our study are relevant for a range of healthcare professionals, as most partial thickness burns are not treated by burn specialists, but rather by general and emergency medicine practitioners,” he added.

Medical information website NetDoctor says that burns bigger than the size of the palm, most second-degree burns and all third-degree burns, as well as all burns on the face, neck, hands and groin, require treatment by health professionals.