Porcine Xenograft and Epidermal Fully Synthetic Skin Substitutes in the Treatment of Partial-Thickness Burns: A Literature Review.

Background and Objectives: Porcine xenografts have been used successfully in partial thickness burn treatment for many years. Their disappearance from the market led to the search for effective and efficient alternatives. In this article, we examine the synthetic epidermal skin substitute Suprathel® as a substitute in the treatment of partial thickness burns. Materials and Methods: A systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines has been performed. Sixteen Suprathel® and 12 porcine xenograft studies could be included. Advantages and disadvantages between the treatments and the studies' primary endpoints have been investigated qualitatively and quantitatively. Results: Although Suprathel had a nearly six times larger TBSA in their studies (p < 0.001), it showed a significantly lower necessity for skin grafts (p < 0.001), and we found a significantly lower infection rate (p < 0.001) than in Porcine Xenografts. Nonetheless, no significant differences in the healing time (p = 0.67) and the number of dressing changes until complete wound healing (p = 0.139) could be found. Both products reduced pain to various degrees with the impression of a better performance of Suprathel® on a qualitative level. Porcine xenograft was not recommended for donor sites or coverage of sheet-transplanted keratinocytes, while Suprathel® was used successfully in both indications. Conclusion: The investigated parameters indicate that Suprathel® to be an effective replacement for porcine xenografts with even lower subsequent treatment rates. Suprathel® appears to be usable in an extended range of indications compared to porcine xenograft. Data heterogeneity limited conclusions from the results.

Is Pre-Hospital CPR a Risk Factor for Early Death in Patients Transferred to an Adult Burn Center?

BACKGROUND: Burn patients who require CPR before admission to a burn center are anecdotally known to suffer higher mortality than those who do not require pre-hospital CPR. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review identified adult patients admitted to our burn center between 2013 and 2015. Included patients met 1 or both of the following criteria: 20% or more total body surface area burned and need for intubation before admission to our facility. We sought to identify predictors of early death, late death, and survival among burn patients who underwent CPR before admission. RESULTS: Of the 80 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 17.5% underwent CPR before arrival at our facility. Seventy-nine percent of these died, compared with 29% of the patients who did not require CPR (p = 0.0005). Seventy-one percent of CPR patients died within 48 hours of admission, compared with 8% of non-CPR patients (p < 0.0001). The major predictor of death vs survival after CPR was lower initial arterial pH. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who undergo CPR before transfer to a burn center are at high risk for early death. Predictors of death and early death after CPR may include elevated initial lactate and lower initial arterial pH.

A case of pyogenic liver abscesses in a previously healthy adolescent man.

An 18-year-old, previously healthy man admitted with abdominal pain, high-grade fevers, nausea and emesis was found to have multiple hepatic abscesses. Aspiration cultures grew Fusobacterium necrophorum, a rare bacterium causing potentially fatal liver abscesses in humans. Following sequential percutaneous drainages and narrowing of antibiotics, the patient was discharged on a 6-week antibiotic course and showed no signs of infection. A week after presentation it was discovered that he had experienced upper respiratory symptoms and sore throat prior to presentation. Because oropharyngeal infections are a potential source of bacteremia, they must be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with hepatic abscesses and no evidence of immunocompromise.

Characteristics of patients with injury secondary to smoking on home oxygen therapy transferred intubated to a burn center.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of patients who sustained burn and ostensible inhalation injuries while on home oxygen therapy with those suffering equivalent injuries via other mechanisms. STUDY DESIGN: Between December 2002 and January 2006, 109 burn patients were transferred to our center intubated. Their charts were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who sustained injuries while on home oxygen therapy were age and total body surface area matched to patients with inhalation and burn injuries secondary to other mechanisms. RESULTS: Fourteen of 109 patients were injured while smoking on home oxygen therapy (15.26%). All 14 had COPD. Mean age was 63 years (range 53 to 77 years) and average total body surface area burned was 4% (range 0% to 10%). Charges for the 14 hospitalizations totaled $1,097,860 ($8,003 to $284,835; mean $78,418 per admission). Average time to extubation was 5.7 ± 10.2 days and average length of stay was 11.4 ± 15.2 days. No significant differences in the average time to extubation, length of stay, cost of hospitalization, or clinical signs of inhalation injury (ie, soot and edema in the pharynx) were noted between our series and the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Injury secondary to smoking on home oxygen therapy is a perennial problem, and guidelines for prescribing home oxygen therapy for smokers should be reassessed. Despite underlying lung disease, patients in our series did as well as patients without COPD who sustained similar injuries.

Use of continuous local anesthetic infusion in the management of postoperative split-thickness skin graft donor site pain.

Donor sites from split-thickness skin grafts (STSG) impose significant pain on patients in the early postoperative period. We report the use of continuous local anesthetic infusion as a method for the management of postoperative STSG donor site pain. Patients undergoing single or dual, adjacent STSG harvest from the thigh (eight patients) or back (one patient) were included in this study. Immediately after STSG harvest, subcutaneous catheters were placed for continuous infusion of local anesthetic. Daily donor site-specific pain severity scores were prospectively recorded in nine patients receiving local anesthetic infusion. Patient characteristics, technical aspects, and postoperative complications were identified in the study. The thigh was the anatomic location chosen for most donor sites. A single catheter was placed for donor sites limited to 4 inches in width or less. A dual catheter system was used for those wider than 4 inches. An elastomeric pump delivered continuously a total of 4 ml/hr of a solution of 0.5% bupivacaine. The average anesthetic infusion duration was 3.1 days. A substantial decrease in worst, least, and average donor site pain scores was found from the first 24 hours to the second postoperative day in our patients, a treatment trend that continued through postoperative day 3. One patient developed minor anesthetic leakage from the catheter insertion site; and in three cases, accidental dislodgement of the catheters occurred. There were no cases of donor site secondary infection. All donor sites were completely epithelialized at 1-month follow-up. Continuous local anesthetic infusion is technically feasible and may represent an option for postoperative donor site pain control after STSG harvesting. Relative cost-benefit of the technique remains to be determined.