Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
The assessment of erythema and thickness on burn related scars during pressure garment therapy as a preventive measure for hypertrophic scarring.
The aim of this study was threefold: (1) Assess the pressure loss of two types of pressure garments that are used in the treatment of hypertrophic scars after burn injury, (2) investigate the influence of two different levels of compression on erythema and thickness of burn scars and (3) examine the association between erythema and thickness. The study was a prospective trial in which 76 burn scars in 60 patients were objectively assessed with the Minolta Chromameter CR-300 for erythema and with the Dermascan C for thickness of the scar over a period of 3 months. Each patient was randomly assigned to a "normal" or "lower" compression class treatment, with respectively mean values of 15 and 10 mmHg pressure after wearing the garment for 1 month. ⋯ Positive correlations could be found between erythema and thickness values at all of the three test points while changes in erythema and thickness only correlated significantly after the first month. The pattern of change of both parameters correlated at a high level of significance after 3 months of treatment. These data suggest that pressure garments that deliver a pressure of at least 15 mmHg pressure tend to accelerate scar maturation and that measurements of the pattern of change of the erythema can be used to predict changes in scar thickness and vice versa.