Egg membrane as a new biological dressing in split-thickness skin graft donor sites: a preliminary clinical evaluation.

BACKGROUND This preliminary investigation attempted to determine the effectiveness of egg membranes as a new biological dressing to promote infection-free healing and provide pain relief over split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor sites. METHODS Eighteen patients, with 28 STSG donor sites who were admitted to the LinKou Burn Center from August 1997 to July 1999, were selected for this trial. The bilateral thighs were the main donor sites for STSG. To compare different dressings, Surgilon, B.G.C. (beta-glucan collagen), and Biobrane were applied to the same donor sites, and epithelialization, pain relief, fluid accumulation, hematoma formation, and the occurrence of rejection or infection were monitored post-application. RESULTS The average wound healing time with egg membrane application was 11.64 +/- 1.29 (range, 10 to 13) days. Meanwhile, the average wound healing times for B.G.C. (6 patients) and Biobrane (6 patients) were 14.5 +/- 0.84 and 14.0 +/- 0.63 days, respectively. Finally, Surgilon (16 patients) had the longest healing time, at 16 +/- 1.41 days. On average, complete pain relief was achieved by 7.3 +/- 0.70 days for egg membrane application, while for B.G.C., Biobrane, and Surgilon, complete pain relief occurred by 7.0 +/- 0.89, 6.0 +/- 0.63, and 10.0 +/- 0.37 days, respectively. Finally, no infection or rejection developed during healing. CONCLUSIONS From this preliminary study, egg membrane may be an ideal STSG donor site dressing, as it possesses properties of pain relief, wound protection, promotion of healing, and low cost. However, the limited unit size must be overcome, and its clinical application for burn wounds should be studied.