Amniotic membrane as a temporary biological dressing in the treatment of severe burn injuries

Abstract

Introduction: burn injuries represent a major problem of public health due to high incidence of letal cases, and due to severe medical and social consequences, causing long term hospitalization, patient’s mutilations and invalidity. Deep burns cause dermo-epidermic defects, which don’t heal per primam intentionem, requiring specialized medical care. Promotion of wound regeneration, structure’s restoration and function’s recovery using temporal biological substituents represents a true challenge for clinicians. Aim: determination of clinical effectiveness of processed amniotic human membranes as dressing in patients with severe and deep burns; of influence on wound’s evolution; of regeneration’s time and aesthetic results of sequelae. Material and methods: it was performed a descriptive retrospective study in a group of 14 patients with 3rd and 4th degree burns treated with amniotic membrane as biologic dressing. At the same time was studied a control group treated using traditional methods. Amniotic membrane (AM) was applied on skin’s donor sites, on post burn wounds after early tangential surgical debridement. Results were compared with those obtained in use of traditional treatment methods in patients with similar burns. Results: using AM on debrided wound diminishes: pain, electrolytic and protein losses, stimulates production of granular tissue and healing, reducing regeneration’s time. Using AM as dressing of donor site, promotes faster wound’s epithelization with formation of a thin and gentle epithelium. Conclusions: Amniotic membrane as dressing promotes production of granular tissue and epithelization of debrided burn wound and of donor site.