Wound Care

Antibiotic stewardship in burn care addresses the rational use of antimicrobials in a population that is profoundly immunosuppressed, chronically colonized, and exposed to high antibiotic volumes. Bur

Autologous cell harvesting (ACH) uses point-of-care devices to prepare a non-cultured suspension of the patient's own skin cells (keratinocytes, melanocytes, fibroblasts, Langerhans cells) from a smal

Burn wound debridement encompasses the timing, technique, and patient selection for removing necrotic tissue from burn wounds. Early tangential excision and immediate grafting is the gold standard for

Dressing selection for burn wounds requires matching product characteristics to wound depth, exudate level, anatomic location, and treatment phase. No single dressing suits all burn wounds; systematic

Burn wound infection encompasses the diagnosis, prevention, and management of microbial invasion in burn wounds. Colonization is inevitable; the clinical challenge is distinguishing it from invasive i

Dermal regeneration templates are scaffold-based products that provide a matrix for neodermis formation in full-thickness burns and other deep soft tissue defects. Products include Integra, MatriDerm,

Enzymatic debridement uses topically applied proteolytic enzymes to selectively dissolve necrotic tissue from burn wounds while preserving viable dermis. Agents include collagenase clostridium histoly

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) improves graft take rates and reduces infection when used to bolster meshed skin grafts, with meta-analytic support. It is particularly valuable on irregular sur

Operative planning for burn patients requires systematic sequencing of surgical procedures from acute excision through definitive wound closure and delayed reconstruction. In large burns, staged recon

Cadaveric skin allograft is the gold standard temporary biologic dressing for excised burn wounds when autograft donor sites are unavailable or the patient cannot tolerate immediate autografting. Skin

Skin substitutes range from temporary biologic dressings to engineered dermal regeneration templates, offering strategies to bridge or supplement autografting when donor skin is insufficient. Dermal t

Split-thickness skin grafting is the definitive closure method for deep partial-thickness and full-thickness burns that will not heal within 21 days. Decisions about timing, graft thickness, meshing r

Topical antimicrobials are the cornerstone of burn wound infection prevention, applied from admission through definitive closure. Silver-based agents remain the workhorse, but agent selection should b

Xenografts, primarily porcine skin, serve as temporary biologic dressings for burn wounds when autograft or allograft is unavailable. They reduce pain, limit fluid loss, protect wound beds, and prepar