<!-- Definition and medical uses -->
Silver sulfadiazine, sold under the brand Silvadene among others, is a topical antibiotic used in partial thickness (second-degree) and full thickness (third-degree) burns to prevent infection. Tentative evidence has found other antibiotics to be more effective, and therefore it is no longer generally recommended for second-degree burns, but is still widely used to protect third-degree burns.
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Common side effects include itching and pain at the site of use.
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Silver sulfadiazine was first described in 1943 as the precipitate formed from reacting sodium sulfadiazine with silver nitrate in water, and rediscovered in the 1960s as a topical treatment for burns. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is available as a generic medication.
Medical uses
Tentative evidence has found other antibiotics to be more effective in the healing of superficial and partial thickness burn injuries; therefore, it is no longer generally recommended. Other reviews of the evidence have also concluded, "[the] quality of the trials was limited". Cochrane has raised concerns about delays in time to wound healing when SSD is used. For this reason, application of silver sulfadiazine is not recommended for most burns due to altered wound appearance and the frequency of required dressing changes. About 0.1 to 1.0% of people show hypersensitivity reactions such as rashes or erythema multiforme.
Interactions
Proteases such as trypsin and clostridiopeptidase, which are contained in ointments used for the removal of dead skin on wounds, can be inhibited by silver ions if applied simultaneously. When silver sulfadiazine is absorbed in significant amounts, it can increase effects and side effects of some drugs such as vitamin K antagonists. However, contact with body fluids produces free sulfadiazine which can then be systemically absorbed and distributed; it undergoes glucuronidation in the liver and is also excreted unaltered in urine.