Systematic review: Which topical agent is more efficacious in prevention of infections in burn patients?

Topical agents are often used in burn patients; however the efficacy to prevent local infections and or sepsis had not been cleared established in high level evidence studies. With the aim to evaluate the comparative efficacy between different topical agents we performed this systematic review. Material and methods. Data source was Medline. MESH terms were: (burn* or scald*) AND (antibacterial or antibiotic*) AND (topic*) AND (therap* or prophylax*). Randomized and quasi randomized clinical trials, with a primary outcome of infections and or sepsis were included. Each study was scored and classified for methodological key issues according to level of evidence. Results. The search identified 457 studies of which 14 were eligible for inclusion and full text was available for 11 of them. Conclusion. Our review does not support differences in efficacy of topical agents to reduce sepsis and or local infections in burn patients.