Long-term experience with 1 per cent topical silver sulphadiazine cream in the management of burn wounds

Abstract Three hundred and forty-two patients with 10–50 per cent body surface area burns were studied prospectively over the 5-year period from 1982 to 1986 for the effectiveness of topical 1 per cent silver sulphadiazine. Various parameters were studied including: (i) healing time of deep partial skin thickness burns, (ii) eschar separation time, (iii) conversion rate of deep dermal burns to full skin thickness burns, (iv) burn wound surface bacterial flora and their changing pattern over the years, (v) incidence of invasive sepsis and (vi) overall mortality. There was a remarkable decrease in the time taken for the healing of deep dermal burns, and the conversion rate of deep dermal burns to full skin thickness was significantly reduced. Eschar separation was delayed considerably. There was a total change in the predominent surface micro-organisms from Staph. aureus, which was predominant in 1982, to pseudomonas species and klebsiella in 1986. Moreover, there was the emergence of a new variety of micro-organism within the last 2 years. The incidence of invasive infection and overall mortality was significantly reduced.