Silverlon® Silver Dressings Proven to Reduce Pain Medication Costs
Posted on Fri, Jun 24, 2011
Silverlon® silver nylon dressings were recently studied to assess their utility in decreasing surgical site infections in colorectal surgery patients. Subsequently, it was observed that the patients with the silver nylon dressings appeared to be in less pain as well. The study was conducted with a total of 110 patients from July 2009 to April 2010 by the University of South Florida’s Department of Surgery.
“We set out to compare the pain scores reported by patients who participated in the silver nylon dressing trial and to evaluate the possible economic impact of the postoperative pain associated with silver nylon dressings and traditional wound dressings,” states Jorge E. Marcet, MD, Professor of Surgery, University of South Florida.
“Study results concluded there was a statistically significant decrease in the postoperative pain experienced by patients whose wounds were dressed with silver nylon dressings,” continues Marcet. “This resulted in decreased pain medication used and trended toward subsequent lower cost for pain medications.”
A Visual Analogue Pain scale and self-reporting of pain scores was tabulated. On post-op day 2, nylon dressing pain scores were half that of the traditional wound dressing group.
The median cost of pain medication for the silver nylon group was $112.09 and the control group was $201.41
The decrease in pain was independent of the occurrence of surgical site infection. In fact, the rate of infection was 33% for traditional wound dressings and 13% for silver nylon dressings.
Details of this study were presented at the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada, May 14 – 18, 2011.
The complete manuscript from this study will be available in upcoming weeks. Interested parties can receive a copy of the complete manuscript via email as soon as it becomes available.
About Silverlon® Silver Antimicrobial Dressings
Clinical studies prove Silverlon® silver antimicrobial dressings can reduce SSIs when applied in the operating room immediately following surgery. Silverlon® dressings provide a sustained release of silver ions directly into the wound, above the level necessary to eradicate all known infection-causing bacteria in as little as 60 minutes after application. The Silverlon® dressing's conductive surface provides a long-term antimicrobial barrier, reduces pain, and reportedly accelerates healing.
About Cura Surgical
Cura Surgical has been introducing innovative products to the surgical industry for more than 30 years. Cura Surgical provides solutions to facilitate healing and recovery for surgical patients. Cura Surgical's offering includes minimally invasive surgical alternatives as well as Silverlon® silver antimicrobial dressings for preventing Surgical Site Infections (SSIs).