OBJECTIVES

A systematic review of literature was conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of silicone tapes compared to microporous tapes in patients with fragile skin.

METHODS

A systematic search in the Medline, Cochrane Library and Lilacs databases, and a complementary search in references of included studies and Google Scholar, were performed. Head-to-head comparisons of silicone tape and microporous tapes in patients with fragile skin were included. No restrictions regarding date, language or place of study were made. Two independent researchers conducted the selection process and data collection. The methodological quality of studies was assessed with the Risk of Bias tool. The quality of evidence was assessed according to the GRADE guidelines.

RESULTS

Three randomized clinical trials were included. The analysis of skin-stripping favored the silicone tape (3 study; p-value<0.05). Advantages in terms of Erythema/Edema were only demonstrated in children (1 study; valor-p=0.0129). The risk of skin-stripping or Erythema/Edema were low in both groups, but significantly favoring silicone tapes (1 study; RR=0.53; IC95%=0.30-0.94; p-value=0.0286). All three studies suggest lower adhesion of the silicone tape, but they did not include this data in the analysis. One study reported less tape edge lift with the paper tape. The silicone tape was associated with less keratin removal (1 study; p-value<0.001) and loss of transdermic water (1 study; p-value<0.001). The risk of injuries, severe injuries or infections were not reported. The outcomes were measured in very different metrics, procedures and populations. It was not possible to perform meta-analyzes. There was a high risk of performance, detection and reporting bias. The evidence was considered of very low quality.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidences suggest that the silicone tape might be gentler to patients’ skins, but limitations in the quality of the evidence and choice of outcomes complicate this conclusion.