Hydrocolloid dressing versus conventional wound care after dermatologic surgery.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Hydrocolloid dressings (HCD) are helpful in chronic wound care, but research is limited in acute postoperative wounds. HCD can potentially be incorporated into a simplified wound care regimen after excisional surgeries.

OBJECTIVE:

To examine whether a one-time HCD application after dermatologic surgery results in greater patient satisfaction and improved postoperative outcomes compared with conventional daily dressings (CDD).

METHODS:

We examined patients who underwent Mohs or standard surgical excision with linear closure followed by HCD. The patients additionally had a history of excisional surgery with CDD in the past 5 years. A modified version of the validated Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire was administered.

RESULTS:

The survey response rate was 74.4% (64/86). Compared with CDD, HCD rated higher in comfort, convenience, scar appearance, and simplicity of wound care instructions (P < .0001). Nearly all patients (96.8%) preferred HCD over CDD.

LIMITATIONS:

Variability in time from prior dermatologic surgery may introduce recall bias. Prior surgeries involving CDD were sometimes performed by a different surgeon, which could introduce other confounding factors.

CONCLUSIONS:

A simplified wound care regimen involving HCD can potentially lead to increased comfort, convenience, simplicity, and a subjective improvement in scar appearance, though additional studies are needed.

• Authors: Samantha P Holmes, Sydney Rivera, Perry B Hooper, James E Slaven, Syril Keena T Que
• Journal: JAAD international (JAAD Int) Vol. 6 Pg. 37-42 (Mar 2022) ISSN: 2666-3287 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 34993497 (Publication Type: Journal Article)