Comparing active Leptospermum honey dressing with conventional dressing in skin graft donor sites

Background: Active Leptospermum honey has non-peroxide antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, rendering it suitable for wound healing. Leptospermum honey is endemic in New Zealand belonging to the manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium). The objective of the present research was to compare the efficacy of manuka honey dressing with conventional dressing regarding skin graft donor sites following a burn injury. Methods: This study was carried out in the department of surgery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. It is a noncontrolled prospective trial, and an open-label study, analyzing Leptospermum honey and conventional dressing for the treatment of donor site areas for skin grafts. Data were collected from 15 eligible patients with burn wound. Two independent donor sites were formed, one of which was treated with active Leptospermum honey dressing and the other covered through the conventional method. Further collected was information regarding subjects’ demographics, self-reported pain (VAS scale), wound surface areas and bacterial wound culture. Results: In the treatment of skin graft donor sites, honey proved to be less painful compared with the conventional group (P=0.001). Three and seven days following treatment, a significant decrease was observed in the mean wound surface areas in the honey group (P=0.001). There was no significant difference between honey and conventional dressings with regards to the rate of infection (20% in honey dressing versus 40% in conventional group; P=0.068). Conclusions: Active Leptospermum honey dressing accelerates the healing process, decreases pain and has antimicrobial activity and can be used for care of skin graft donor sites.