How to decrease the incidence of eschar formation during the use of topical povidone-iodine ointment in the treatment of burns.

The aim of this study was to prevent eschar formation in thermally injured patients during the use of povidoneiodine ointment by modifying therapeutic protocols depending on normal events in healing process. Sixty thermally injured patients of different age groups, sex, and occupation with different burn sizes were involved in the study, allocated to two groups. Group A was made up of 17 patients treated with topical povidone-iodine ointment in addition to other prescribed drugs according to the burn unit regimen, while group B was comprised of 43 patients treated with topical povidone-iodine ointment for the first four days post-injury followed by topical silver sulphadiazine cream until discharge and with other prescribed drugs according to the burn unit regimen. In both groups the following were studied, using standard methods: oxidative stress parameters; thyroid, liver, and renal function test; microbiology; mortality rate; healing time and economic aspects. It was found that treatment of burn patients with topical povidone-iodine ointment for the first four days post-injury followed by topical silver sulphadiazine cream reduced the incidence of eschar formation from 100% to 2.3%, in addition to maintaining improvement in burn outcome when using povidone-iodine ointment during the full course of treatment. It is concluded that for the modification of treatment protocols in burns designed to obtain normal wound healing and at the same time to avoid the undesirable effects of the treatment given, the use of topical povidone-iodine ointment for the first four days post-injury, followed by topical silver sulphadiazine cream, was a good application. In addition, this study clearly shows the importance of the therapeutic targeting of oxidative stress in burn treatment, especially during the first four days post-injury, a period when blood levels of oxidative stress parameters are at a maximum.