Abstract

MICROBIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF HOSPITALIZED BURNS PATIENTS TREATED WITH NANOCRYSTALLINE SILVER

Daniela Scheuer Bom, Armindo Antônio Alves, Ana Laura Remédio Zeni Beretta*

ABSTRACT

Background: This study to evaluate the incidence of infection and identify the main etiologic agents present in burn wounds of patients in the healing process in topical treatment with nanocrystalline silver. Casuistic and Method: Sixty-eight burned patients were evaluate, and submitted to the criteria of inclusion. There are children and adults of both sexes, admitted to the burns treatment unit of the hospital study, with burns of second and third degree, transferred or not from other hospitals, aged between two and seventy years, receiving treatment with nanocrystalline silver and who were hospitalized for more than 48 hours. Result: Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequent microorganism (20.6%), for other side Staphylococcus aureus (13.24 %) emerged as significant cause of infection, being the second most frequently isolated agent. The rate Acinetobacter baumannii (10.29%) was higher than the estimated national statistics, which is 0.8%. Although Staphylococcus epidermidis is the causative agent of lower frequency (7.35%), many centers show that this can be a significant pathogen, taking into account the status of burned patients. Conclusion: Approximately 71% of microbiological cultures were positive for any type of bacteria, and the most frequent etiological agents were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Acinetobacter baumannii. The incidence of infection was 70.6 %. The results of this study allow us to suggest that there is still concern about the complications presented by burn patients.

Keywords: Burns; Nanocrystalline silver; Pathogenic microorganisms; Hospital infection.