Abstract

Introduction: Burns are a common injury in children, and they are treated with various pain management strategies and procedural sedation during dressing changes and debridement. Electrospinning dressing technology is a promising approach for advanced wound care, potentially improving healing outcomes and reducing complications. This retrospective study assessed the safety and feasibility of using electrospinning technology in pediatric burn patients.

Materials and methods: This retrospective cohort study included pediatric patients with partial-thickness burns treated between July 2022 and September 2023. Eighteen patients with burns were dressed using electrospinning technology, compared to 38 receiving standard care. The study also compared the number of procedural sedations, doses of opiates, and duration of non-opiate analgesic treatments, as well as the incidence of burn site deepening and burn site infections.

Results: The electrospinning dressing yielded patient outcomes comparable to standard care regarding sedation treatments, analgesics, and burn site infections. Additionally, the electrospinning dressing and standard care were similar in cases that required transfer to a specialised burn center or parents refusing treatment.

Conclusion: Electrospinning dressing technology showed non-inferiority to standard care in this small cohort of pediatric burns. Larger, prospective, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings and assess their long-term benefits and cost-effectiveness.