Using Dehydrated Amniotic Membrane Skin Substitute in Facial Burns: Is There a Outcome Difference Between Adult and Pediatric Patients?

INTRODUCTION: Facial burns have significant physical and psychological effects on patients, and minimizing morbidity continues to be a challenge for reconstructive surgeons. Advancements have allowed the development of various skin substitutes. Among these, human dehydrated amniotic skin substitutes represent novel technology, yet their outcome has not been sufficiently studied to guide practice. The objective of our study is to compare the safety of amniotic membrane skin substitutes in the treatment of adult and pediatric facial burns. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective review of our institutional burn registry, with 90 burn patients meeting the inclusion criteria. Demographic and outcome measures included age, percentage of total body surface area (TBSA), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and complications (eg, pigmentation, hypertrophic scar, infection, and delayed healing). Paired sample t test and Chi-squared test were used, with significance defined as P < 0.05. RESULTS: Seventy-seven adults and 13 pediatric patients with facial burns who had received dehydrated amniotic membrane skin substitutes were included in the analysis. The mean age was 40.8 years for adults and 5.6 years for children. Mean TBSA was similar, with 9.6% (1-57%) in adults and 6.0% (2-14%) in children. The mean ISS did not significantly differ between groups (4.0 versus 2.2, P = ns). Pediatric patients with facial burns treated with amniotic membranes had a higher incidence of dyspigmentation relative to adult patients (46.2% versus 9.1%, P ≤ 0.05). Remaining morbidities were not significantly different between adult and pediatric patients. All patients, irrespective of group, healed by the second post-operative week. CONCLUSION: Dehydrated amniotic membrane skin substitutes are a safe alternative in the treatment of facial burns across all ages.