Pele de tilápia no tratamento de queimaduras: atuação da enfermagem no tratamento de queimaduras com pele de tilápia

Burns are complex, painful, and potentially disabling injuries associated with infection risk, fluid loss, metabolic disturbances, scarring, and psychosocial effects. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin has been investigated as a temporary biological dressing for partial-thickness burns because it is collagen-rich, mechanically resistant, and adheres to the wound bed. This study analyzes evidence on tilapia skin for burn treatment and discusses the role of nursing in this care. It is a structured narrative review with a qualitative approach, based on scientific publications and technical and regulatory documents retrieved from PubMed/MEDLINE, SciELO, the Virtual Health Library, and institutional portals, emphasizing 2018 to 2025. Findings indicate that, in selected partial-thickness burns and clinical settings, tilapia skin showed good adherence, fewer dressing changes, lower pain intensity, a modest reduction in re-epithelialization time, and lower treatment-related costs compared with silver-based dressings. The most recent meta-analysis included four randomized trials and 199 participants; however, available research still has small samples, geographic concentration, and heterogeneous protocols. Nursing is central to comprehensive assessment, wound-bed preparation, pain management, infection surveillance, dressing maintenance, systematic documentation, patient education, and interprofessional coordination. Tilapia skin is therefore a promising biomaterial, but its incorporation requires a regulated product, an institutional protocol, trained staff, informed consent, and outcome monitoring, without extending indications beyond the available evidence.