Effectiveness of 1% Silver Sulfadiazine with Zinc versus 1% Silver Sulfadiazine in Burn Wound Healing

Background: 1% silver sulfadiazine (1%SSD) cream is a well-known topical antibiotic used for first- and superficial second-degree burn wound treatment due to its good outcomes and reasonable price. Zinc (Zn) is an essential mineral in the cell proliferation process. Objective: The primary objective was to compare the efficacies of the 1%SSD-with-Zn and the standard formula burn wound healing. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted as a prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Results: Twenty-seven superficial second-degree wounds of non-major burn patients were randomized to 2 groups: 13 patients were treated with 1%SSD-with-Zn, while 14 were treated with standard 1%SSD. In the group with wounds sized less than 100 cm2, the complete healing days for the 1%SSD-with-Zn and control groups were 9 and 12 days, respectively (p-value = 0.193). For wounds sized over 100 cm2, the complete healing days for the 1%SSD-with-Zn and control groups were 12 and 15 days (p-value = 0.307). The secondary outcomes of the groups (pain scores, infection complications, blood Zn levels, and wound swab cultures) were not significantly different. Conclusion: Although 1%SSD-with-Zn showed no statistical significance in burn wound healing compared with the standard formula, it demonstrated a clinical trend towards treatment cost saving. Keywords: Silver sulfadiazine cream, Silver sulfadiazine cream with zinc formula, Zinc, Burn wound healing