Ms Joanne Jovina Siow Huey Cheng¹, Ms Herni Lutfiah Hussein¹

¹KK Women’s And Children’s Hospital

Abstract:
Introduction

Paediatric patients in the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, who suffers from burns mostly present to the children’s emergency with second-degree burns of either superficial partial-thickness or deep partial-thickness burns depending on the depth of injury to the dermis. The skin of superficial partial-thickness burn is described as erythematic and “weepy” with blister formation, hypersensitive and painful to touch. As such, appropriate dressing should be considered to reduce procedural distress with minimum dressing changes required as an integral part of treatment management. Choice of dressing application should allow the wound to progress from the inflammatory stage to the proliferative stage of healing, eliminating the degree of movement difficulty and provide adequate exudate control especially in the childs’ little hands and feet.

Method

Nurses in the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery attended formal lecture followed by product demonstration on the use of hydrofiber with ionic silver dressing on burns wound.

The use of hydrofiber with ionic silver dressing for burns with TBSA <10%  was piloted and applied on 10 paediatric patients with superficial partial-thickness affecting various part of the body especially hands.

Results

Comparing with other dressing materials, hydrofiber with ionic silver required no more than two dressing changes hence decreasing procedure-related pain from dressing changes and reduction in wound care costs in relation to patients, nursing time and improved healing rates. Wound healing was noted to have epithelised in less than two weeks period.

Biography:
Advanced Practice Nurse (Paediatric) working in the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore