This study investigated whether treatment with occlusive, hydroactive
polyurethane dressings affects the microflora and clinical outcome of acute
wounds. A randomized, controlled trial was performed on 60 patients with acute facial
lacerations. Following primary closure, patients were provided with either a dry-gauze dressing or a hydroactive
polyurethane dressing (Cutinova Thin). The
wounds were assessed clinically and microbiologically prior to closure, then after 5, 28 and 56 days. The dressing, which was removed at day 5, was also sent for microbiological culture.
Wounds treated with the
polyurethane dressing showed improved comfort and contour (p < 0.04), less
erythema (p < 0.03) and less potential for
scarring (p < 0.01) at day 5. At day 28 and day 56, there were no significant differences in the clinical assessment between the test and control groups (p > 0.05). A total of 518 isolates were recovered from the patients during the study. Mean number of isolates and bacterial growth density were calculated in both groups. A similar range of microorganisms were obtained from both treatment groups with no clear difference in organism colonization. This study shows the potential usefulness of facial
wounds as a human model for studying acute wound healing responses and anti-
scarring therapy. While short-term, clinical benefits of
occlusive dressings were evident in the management of acute
wounds, these data clearly show that all studies of
scarring following acute wounding should extend over at least 3 months post-injury to allow for spontaneous improvement to occur.