Hand
burns predominantly affect young adults, and therefore have serious social and financial implications. In the present work, 106 patients with less than 25% body surface area
burns and acute partial-thickness burned hands were managed using
polyethylene bags and 1% local
silver sulphadiazine (
SSD) cream or
moist exposed burn ointment (MEBO). Females made up 61.3% of the cases and flame
burn was the majority cause (54.7%). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding either the
analgesic effect after local
ointment application or hand movement inside the
polyethylene bag. Local agent crustation over the
wound was very evident in the hands managed by local 1%
SSD cream (69.81%). On follow-up, the burned hands healed faster using local MEBO (10.48 versus 14.53 days), with fewer post-
burn hand deformities and better active hand movements; however, the total cost until complete hand
burn wound healing was higher with MEBO than with 1%
SSD, although the final results were superior, with early return to work, when MEBO was used. We concluded that the use of MEBO as a topical agent and of
polyethylene bags for the dressing of the acute partial-thickness burned hand accelerated healing; daily
wound evaluation was easy as there was no crustation over it of the agent. It was more expensive than 1%
SSD cream but presented fewer post-
burn complications and more rapid healing, with shorter
hospital stay.