HOW CAN Dressilk® IMPROVE SUPERFICIAL WOUND MANAGEMENT? SILK DRESSING HOW CAN Dressilk® IMPROVE SUPERFICIAL WOUND MANAGEMENT? Mathieu laurence, Bigaignon Janine, Blomet Joël, Laboratoire PREVOR, Moulin de Verville, 95760 Valmondois, France Accepted for presentation at the WUWHS congress 2016, in Florence, Italy Introduction Management of superficial wounds can be achieved by several types of dressings more or less complex. The "ideal" wound dressing maximizes patients' comfort while reducing pain and the risk of pulling off migrating epidermal cells from the wound surface. In addition reliable wound status evaluation (minimizing complications), increased efficiency of treatment (cost /efficacy ratio) and reduced hospitalization rates should be provided. Silk, as a natural, simple and robust material could improve wound management. What is Dressilk® barrier? Dressilk® is made of 100 % natural silk, thus it can be extended in 2 dimensions. It is soft and comfortable for the patient. It is transparent and facilitates observation of the wound evolution. It can be applied on all superficial wounds, it adheres to the skin and can be left until complete healing. How is it classified? Dressilk® dressing is a Medical Device class II b, CE 0459, sterile. What does it look like? Dressilk® barrier is a silk dressing contained in a sterile double pouch (sterilization under vapor) with a 3 year shelf-life. Indications : Dressilk® barrier is a permeable interface for single use to ideally use on acute and chronic superficial wounds such as burns, dermabrasions, traumatic wounds, post-operative wounds, graft donor site, ulcers and pressure sores. As it is an interface, antiseptic creams can be applied underneath. Instructions for use : For external use only. Clean the wound. Take the dressing out of the double protecting bag. Apply the Dressilk® dressing on the wound avoiding creasing. If necessary, Soak the Dressilk® in sterile physiological fluid to facilitate application.   It is not necessary to fix the Dressilk® barrier on the wound. A secondary dressing can be put over Dressilk® barrier. Methods   A comparative clinical study has been conducted in Germany and clinical data collected in Belgium. Results Dressilk® interface confirms its expected properties for the treatment of superficial wounds: comfort and more mobility for the patient, less dressing changes creating less pain. From a nursing point of view, less renewal of dressing induces less manipulation, thus time saving for the hospital. For the medical staff, it limits inflammation and infection, necessitating less antibiotics and reducing hospital stay. During the clinical study in Cologne-Merheim clinic in Germany, 28 burn patients received surgical treatment with split-thickness skin grafting, using Biobrane®, Dressilk® and PolyMem® as a single bound donor site wound dressing for all patients. Following a standardized case report form, several parameters were monitored, such as pain, transparency of dressing, active bleeding, exudation and inflammation by using the Verbal Rating Scale 1-10 through out.. Dressilk® and Biobrane® were favored by patients and surgeons for providing an effective and safe healing environment, with overall low complication rates with respect to infection and exudation. Regarding cost-effectiveness PolyMem® and Dressilk® presented superior to Biobrane®. Clinical data still being collected after the first study such as the following case report: At the Burn centre Gent University hospital in Belgium , Dressilk® use has been evaluated: Dressilk® barrier is easily removed in one piece on any part of the body. Dressilk® References Two sizes Packaging SILK1010 10 x 10 cm A box of 10 dressings SILK2030 20 x 30 cm Conclusion Silk dressing such as Dressilk® can be a good opportunity to improve superficial wound management. References: Schulz A, Depner C, Lefering R, Kricheldorff J, Kästner S, Fuchs PC, Demir E. A prospective clinical trial comparing Biobrane® Dressilk® and PolyMem® dressings on partial-thickness skin graft donor sites. Burns 2016 Mar;42(2):345-55.