Use of Steel Wool-A Novel Method to Debride the Second Degree Burns Muhammad Naveed Shahzad & Naheed Ahmed Ann. Pak. Inst. Med. Sci. 2013; 9(3): 78-82 78 Original Article Use of Steel Wool - A Novel Method to Debride the Second Degree Burns Objective: To find out effectiveness of steel wool debridement in second degree burns Study design: prospective study Place and duration of study: From January 2008 to December 2010, plastic surgery department, Nishtar Hospital Multan Materials and Methods: A total of 300 burn cases were admitted in burn unit / plastic surgery department, Nishtar Hospital Multan. During the study period all the details of patients regarding their Registration data, history, site of the burn, TBSA affected, degree of burn , depth of burn, presence or absence of slough in the wound, medical report, operative notes, pre and post operative photographs, duration of hospital stay and outcome were filed individually. All the data was analyzed using SPSS 11 software. Results: We included 63 patients who had partial thickness burns. 35 patients had superficial dermal burns and 28 had deep dermal burns. Out of 63 patients 36 were males and 27 were females. Their age ranged from 13 years to more than 65 years. (Table I) It can be best appreciated that majority of patients in our study were in the age range of 21-40 years. Conclusion: Steel wool dermabrasion removes the necrotic tissue and reduces the inflammatory response that helps in healing and prevents transition into deep thickness burns. It also reduces the septic load of the wound. Dermabrasion with the steel wool is effective, simple, and cost effective and it negates the need of grafting in many of the patients with partial thickness burns. Keywords: Burns, Second degree burns, Steel wool. Muhammad Naveed Shahzad* Naheed Ahmed* *MCPS, FCPS (Gen. Surgery) Dept of Plastic surgery Nishtar Medical College Multan *Assistant Professor Plastic surgery, FCPS (plast) Nishtar Medical College Multan Address for Correspondence Dr. Naheed Ahmed Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery Nishtar Medical College Multan Introduction Burns are difficult to treat in developing countries like Pakistan. The exact incidence of burns here in Pakistan is not known 1 this is due to non availability or incompleteness of death registration and disease reporting. All age incidence of burns 518 per 100,000 per year. A much higher incidence of 1,388 per 100,000 per year is reported amongst children below 5 years. 1 A higher incidence of burns is also reported in squatter settlements of Karachi. 2 The annual incidence of burn admissions in all ages is 19 admissions per 100,000 per year (male 15.5, female 18.9). 3 Burns and scalds form 5-12 % of all traumas. 4,5 However it is estimated that Almost two million people in United State suffer from burns annually. 6 Whereas burns is among the 15 leading causes of death in India. 7 Over the past 50 years of burn wound management, a progressively decreasing mortality from severe burns is seen. However, increasing healthcare costs have forced health care providers to not only provide quality burn care, but also reduce the costs associated with burn wound management. 8-9 The normal wound repair process is coordinated and predictable series of cellular and biochemical events. However certain pathophysiological conditions alter this pre programmed course of events so that wound healing can be enhanced or impeded. Presence of necrotic tissue not only inhibits wound healing but it deepens wounds through extensive inflammatory response 10,11 So removal of necrotic tissue is extremely essential to prevent and diminish wound sepsis and enhance wound healing. Superficial burns include the epidermis and healing is complete in less than a week. 12,13 Partial thickness (second degree) burns involve all of the epidermis and some of the underlying dermis. Management and subsequent recovery depend on the amount of viable dermis remaining. A superficial partial thickness burn down to the papillary dermis will produce blistering; a painful pink wound bed with good capillary refill, and should heal with minimal amounts of hypertrophic scar formation in about 14–21 days. A deep partial thickness burn down to the reticular dermis