None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Between the years 2000 and 2004 approximately 46,611 people were hospitalised in Australia as a result of burn or scald related injury.1 While comorbidities such as infection and psychosocial health alterations are readily described, patients recovering from burn injury frequently experience a post burn itch.2,3 Post burn itch affects up to 80% of the burn population.4 While post burn itch varies in time frame as well as severity, some patients experience severe and debilitating itch disturbing their sleep, activities of daily living as well as their quality of life for months following wound healing.3 Post burn itch treatments, while multimodal, remain consistently ineffective.3 In line with current literature The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) Burns Unit utilises various combinations of antihistamine medications, regular bathing, massage and aqueous crème in their management of post burn itch. Despite these varied interventions and the reputation of the RBWH Burn Unit as a centre of clinical excellence, itch remains the problem here that it is globally. Recent anecdotal evidence from several RBWH burn outpatients, however, suggests Medilixir (a combination of bees wax and herbal oils) to successfully assist in the minimisation of post burn itch. For this small patient cohort the change from aqueous crème to Medilixir markedly reduced their post burn itch. 1. Harrison, J., & Steel, D. (2006). Burns and scalds. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Injury Surveillance Unit Briefing, 7, October 2006. 2. Smith, J.S., Smith, K.R., Rainey, S.L., & DelGiorno, J. (2006). The psychology of burn care. Journal of Trauma Nursing, 13(3), pp.105-106. 3. Matheson, J.D., Clayton, J., & Muller, M.J. (2001). The reduction of itch during burn wound healing. Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation, 22(1),pp.76-81. 4. Demling, R.H., & DeSanti, L. (2003). Topical Doxepin significantly reduces itching and erythema in the chronically pruritic burn scar. Wounds, 15(6), pp.195-200.
Interventions
Medilixir is a topical creme which is a combination of bees wax and herbal oils. Patients will apply the Medilixir to the area of their newly healed burn twice daily for two weeks. Following this period they will 'crossover' and use aqueous creme twice daily on their newly healed burn for a further one week. There will be no washout period for this study between crossover as lotions applied topically for the relief of post burn itch are effective for short periods of time only. As cremes will cr
Medilixir is a topical creme which is a combination of bees wax and herbal oils. Patients will apply the Medilixir to the area of their newly healed burn twice daily for two weeks. Following this period they will 'crossover' and use aqueous creme twice daily on their newly healed burn for a further one week. There will be no washout period for this study between crossover as lotions applied topically for the relief of post burn itch are effective for short periods of time only. As cremes will crossover on the commencement of a new calander day there will be 12 hours or more between topical applications and an additional seven days to determine the elevation or decline or any further itch. The massage component of this study involves application of either creme. Each creme will be applied over a 5 to 10 minute period and massaged well into the newly healed skin.
Sponsors
Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Crossover
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 110 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Patients with partial or full thickness burns to their body surface area or greater. Those able to provide informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
Those unable to provide informed consent. Those unable to answer questions accurately given communication difficulties.
Outcome results
None listed