Comparison of Ba‐Hao burn ointment gauze and petrolatum gauze in split graft donor site healing: A randomized, prospective, and self‐control study

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims To assess patient comfort, wound healing, and scarring at the 6‐month follow‐up of split‐skin graft donor sites treated with Ba‐Hao burn ointment (BHBO) gauze, a compound preparation of traditional Chinese medicine since 1970s, compared with petrolatum gauze. Methods Thirty patients admitted to the Department of Burns of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between September 2021 and September 2022 participated in this randomized, prospective, self‐control clinical study. After harvesting the split skin, donor sites were divided into two parts along the midline. BHBO gauze was applied to half of the donor wounds, and petrolatum gauze was applied to the other half. The wound healing time, pain scores on the postoperative Days 3, 6, and 9, and Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) score at the 6‐month follow‐up were assessed. Results The wound healing time was significantly shorter in the BHBO group than in the control group (10.07 ± 1.48 days vs. 11.50 ± 1.74 days, p 0.05). Microbiological assessment revealed the absence of bacterial contamination in both groups. At the 6‐month follow up, the VSS score was significantly lower in the BHBO group (6.67 ± 1.92) than in the control group (9.57 ± 1.55). Conclusion BHBO resulted in faster donor‐site healing, reduced postoperative pain, and improved scar quality at the 6‐month follow‐up than petrolatum gauze alone.

Keywords

• Ba‐Hao burn ointment
• curative effect analysis
• donor site
• split‐skin graft