Podcast #407: Choose your own blister adventure

Author: Don Stader, MD

Educational Pearls:

 

• Three options for a blister in partial thickness burns:  do nothing, unroof it, or poke a hole in it
• Recent study suggest that aspirating the blister may be more effective in regards to wound healing
• The overlying skin acts as a bio-band-aid and patients recover slightly faster

References:

Ro HS, Shin JY, Sabbagh MD, Roh SG, Chang SC, Lee NH. Effectiveness of aspiration or deroofing for blister management in patients with burns: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Apr;97(17):e0563. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000010563. PubMed PMID: 29703044; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5944508.

Summary by Travis Barlock, MS4  | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD