Volume 29, Issue 163, September 2025

The impact of the use of silicone dressings on reducing the extent of surgical intervention in the treatment of second- and thirddegree burns

Żanna Gawrysz^1♦, Agnieszka Witowska¹, Stanisław Derewjanko²

¹Department of Plastic and Burns Surgery, Multispecialty Hospital in Nowa Sól, ul. Chałubińskiego 7, 67-000 Nowa Sól, Poland
²Collegium Medicum of the University of Zielona Góra, ul. Zyty 28, 65-046 Zielona Góra, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Żanna Gawrysz, Department of Plastic and Burns Surgery, Multispecialty Hospital in Nowa Sól, ul. Chałubińskiego 7, 67-000 Nowa Sól, Poland

ABSTRACT

A burn is the result of an injury caused by the action of energy (high temperature, electric current, ionizing radiation, or chemical substances). Assessing the extent and depth of a burn wound directly after the injury is difficult because the process of tissue destruction may progress and deepen. The presentation changes within several to several dozen hours after the thermal injury, and sometimes even after a few days. In this report, we present a clinical case of a 62-year-old patient. She was admitted to our Department of Plastic Surgery and Burn Treatment with burns located in the gluteal region and the posterior surface of the thighs. On admission, the patient presented with grade IIA/IIB burns covering approximately 10% of the total body surface area. In the initial phase, we applied conservative treatment using silicone dressings and antibiotic therapy. We observed burn progression and evident soft tissue necrosis between the 4th and 7th day of hospitalization. We decided to continue conservative treatment to cleanse the wound and potentially reduce the extent of the surgical procedure. Subsequently, we performed a necrosectomy and covered the defects with a free skin graft, which resulted in gradual local improvement. This case highlights the rationale and effectiveness of conservative treatment. Properly selected dressings can significantly limit the extent of surgical intervention. They protect burned areas, maintain optimal conditions for wound healing. As a result, we achieved accelerated tissue regeneration and reduced the area requiring surgical intervention.

Keywords: burn, burn treatment, burn wound, silicone dressings, wound dressings, skin graft.

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e160ms3671

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i163.e160ms3671

Published: 14 September 2025