Scrub Sponge as A Wound Debridement Device

INTRODUCTION: Wound debridement is necessary before skin grafting or wound closure. Inappropriate wound bed preparation will led to graft rejection and sometimes catastrophic results, especially in large wounds,. Usage of popular debridement and excision devices such as dermatomes has some difficulties and disadvantages. In this study we will introduce metallic scrub sponge as a safe and effective debridement device. METHODS: The surgeon usually uses a sterile metallic scrub sponge over the wound with transverse or rotational repeated movement. Wound preparing with metallic sponge should be stopped when pinpoint bleeding occurs. We used sterile metallic sponge for more than 2500 burn patients. RESULTS: The results are excellent for deep second degree burn (and deeper burns at least 5-10 days after burn when some eschar loosening occurs). Work with scrub sponge was effective, fast and safe. DISCUSSION: Metallic scrub sponge is a useful device for wound preparation due to its some special characteristics. Debridement of the burn wound with metallic sponge can preserve the spontaneous epithelialization potential of skin in second degree burns and reduce additional injury to the viable tissue that is inevitable by surgical debridement. Cost effectiveness, easy accessibility, safety, softness, inertness and some others are among the other advantages of metallic sponge usage for wound preparation. CONCLUSION: Due to metallic sponge’s simplicity and capability to remove necrotic loose tissues and easy accessibility everywhere and minimal adverse effects, it is a good first line tool for wound preparation and debridement.