Effects of Moist Wound Healing Strategy on Healing Time of Burn Wound Donor Sites and Patients' Depression/Anxiety Symptoms.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the effects of a Moist Wound Healing (MWH) strategy using Sanyrene liquid dressing versus Traditional Dry Care (TDC) with infrared lamp irradiation on donor site healing time and psychological symptoms in burn patients.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of 173 patients undergoing split-thickness skin graft surgery was divided into TDC (n=92) and MWH (n=81) groups based on documented postoperative care. Healing time was assessed from postoperative day 7 until complete re-epithelialization. Pain was evaluated twice daily using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) during the 7-day intervention. Skin condition and scar quality were assessed via the Overall Dry Skin (ODS) score and Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) at 1 and 3 months. Psychological symptoms were measured at 3 months using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

RESULTS

The MWH group exhibited a significantly shorter mean healing time (13.23 days vs 16.85 days, P<0.001) and a higher proportion of wounds healed within 7 days (35.8% vs 17.39%, P=0.006). From day 4 onward, MWH patients reported lower NRS pain scores (eg, 2.51 vs 2.98 on day 7, P<0.001). At follow-up, the MWH group had better ODS and VSS scores (all P<0.05) and lower HADS-Anxiety (P=0.005) and HADS-Depression scores (P=0.002). Multivariate analysis confirmed MWH as an independent protective factor against non-healing within 7 days (OR=0.624, P=0.002).

CONCLUSION

MWH with Sanyrene dressing is associated with faster donor site healing, reduced pain, improved skin and scar outcomes, and better psychological well-being compared to TDC in burn patients.