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Silver deposits in cutaneous burn scar tissue is a common phenomenon following application of a silver dressing
Author(s) -
Wang XueQing,
Chang HongEn,
Francis Rod,
Olszowy Henry,
Liu PeiYun,
Kempf Margit,
Cuttle Leila,
Kravchuk Olena,
Phillips Gael E.,
Kimble Roy M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of cutaneous pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1600-0560
pISSN - 0303-6987
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0560.2008.01141.x
Subject(s) - medicine , scars , dermis , dermatology , hypertrophic scars , surgery , silver salts , pathology , chemistry , organic chemistry
Background: Silver dressings have been widely and successfully used to prevent cutaneous wounds, including burns, chronic ulcers, dermatitis and other cutaneous conditions, from infection. However, in a few cases, skin discolouration or argyria‐like appearances have been reported. This study investigated the level of silver in scar tissue post‐burn injury following application of Acticoat™, a silver dressing. Methods: A porcine deep dermal partial thickness burn model was used. Burn wounds were treated with this silver dressing until completion of re‐epithelialization, and silver levels were measured in a total of 160 scars and normal tissues. Results: The mean level of silver in scar tissue covered with silver dressings was 136 μg/g, while the silver level in normal skin was less than 0.747 μg/g. A number of wounds had a slate‐grey appearance, and dissection of the scars revealed brown‐black pigment mostly in the middle and deep dermis within the scar. The level of silver and the severity of the slate‐grey discolouration were correlated with the length of time of the silver dressing application. Conclusions: These results show that silver deposition in cutaneous scar tissue is a common phenomenon, and higher levels of silver deposits and severe skin discolouration are correlated with an increase in the duration of this silver dressing application.