A randomized controlled trial of silver sulfadiazine, biafine, and saline-soaked gauze in the treatment of superficial partial-thickness burn wounds in pigs

Silver sulfadiazine 1% cream (SSD) and biafine (an oil-in-water emulsion containing alginate) are used for the treatment of superficial partial-thickness burns, but comparative effectiveness studies are lacking. Objectives: To compare the uses of SSD, Biafine (Labortoires Medix, Houdan, France), and saline-soaked gauze in the treatment of superficial partial-thickness burns in pigs. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial in four anesthetized young pigs. Four equal sets of partial-thickness contact burns were inflicted on the pigs. Each burn was randomly assigned to treatment with biafine, SSD, or saline-soaked gauze with dressing changes every other day. Assessment of wound re-epithelialization was performed every other day, for a total of two weeks. The treatment groups were compared by univariable and multivariable analyses of variance (ANOVAs), controlling for the pig and the location of the burns on each pig. Results: Thirty-two burns were inflicted on the Pigs. Time to re-epithelialization of the burns was 13.5 days (SD +/- 0.9 days) in pigs treated with biafine, 13.3 days ( +/-1.3 days) in pigs treated with SSD, and 13.5 days (+/-1.0 days) in pigs treated with saline-soaked gauze (p = not significant [NS]). The decreases in burn area from day 2 to day 12 were 21.4 cm(2) (+/-6.0 cm(2)) in pigs treated with biafine, 20.0 cm(2) ( 6.3 cm(2)) in pigs treated with SSD, and 19.8 cm(2) ( 5.9 cm(2)) in pigs treated with saline-soaked gauze (p = NS). A multivariable ANOVA showed a similar decrease in burn area between the treatment arms (p = NS) and a significant difference between the pigs (p = 0.015). Conclusion: Partial-thickness porcine burns treated with SSD, biafine, and soaked saline gauze re-epithelialize at similar rates.