Quantifying the impact of inhalational burns: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Inhalational injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in burns patients. This study aims to analyse the clinical outcomes, complications and bacteriology of inhalational burn patients. METHODS: A prospective study was done on consecutive admissions to Burn Department, Singapore General Hospital over 15 months from January 2015 to March 2016. Presence of inhalational injury, demographics, complications and outcomes was recorded. Diagnosis of inhalational injury was based on history, symptoms and nasoendoscopy. Diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute kidney injury (AKI) and infective complications were according to the Berlin criteria, acute kidney injury network (AKIN) classification stage 2 and above and the American Burns Association guidelines. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (17.3%) had inhalational burns out of 202 patients (63.4% male, 57.4% Chinese population). The average age was 43 ± 16.7 years (range 16-86), and percentage of total body surface area (%TBSA) was 12.1 ± 18.0 (range 0-88). In patients with inhalational injury, age was 38.9 ± 17.2 years and %TBSA was 30.3 ± 32.3. In patients without inhalational injury, age was 44.1 ± 12.8  years and %TBSA was 8.3 ± 9.59. Compared to patients with cutaneous injury alone, patients with inhalational burns had more surgeries (3 ± 7.07 vs 1 ± 1.54, p = 0.003), increased length of stay (21 days vs 8 days, p = 0.004) and higher in-hospital mortality rate (17.1% vs 0.6%, p < 0.001). Incidence of ARDS and AKI was 48.6% and 37.1%, respectively, compared to 0.6% and 1.2% in the patients without inhalational injury (p < 0.001). Patients with inhalational injury had increased incidence of bacteraemia (31.4% vs 2.4%, p < 0.001), pneumonia (37.1% vs 1.2%, p < 0.001) and burn wound infection (51.4% vs 25.1%, p = 0.004). Inhalational injury predicted AKI with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 17.43 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.07-98.87, p < 0.001); ARDS, OR = 106.71 (95% CI 12.73-894.53, p < 0.001) and pneumonia, OR = 13.87 (95% CI 2.32-82.94, p = 0.004). Acinetobacter baumannii was the most frequently cultured bacteria in sputum, blood and tissue cultures with inhalational injury. Gram-negative bacteria were predominantly cultured from tissue in patients with inhalational injury, whereas gram-positive bacteria were predominantly cultured from tissue in patients without inhalational injury. CONCLUSIONS: Inhalational injury accompanying burns significantly increases the length of stay, mortality and complications including AKI, ARDS, infection and sepsis.

Comparison of four measures in reducing length of stay in burns: An Asian centre's evolved multimodal burns protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Multidisciplinary burns care is constantly evolving to improve outcomes given the numerous modalities available. We examine the use of Biobrane, micrografting, early renal replacement therapy and a strict target time of surgery within 24h of burns on improving outcomes of length of stay, duration of surgery, mean number of surgeries and number of positive tissue cultures in a tertiary burns centre. METHODS: A post-implementation prospective cohort of inpatient burns patients from 2014 to 2015 (n=137) was compared against a similar pre-implementation cohort from 2013 to 2014 (n=93) using REDCAP, an electronic database. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference for comorbidities, age and percentage (%) TBSA between the new protocol and control groups. The protocol group had shorter mean time to surgery (23.5-38.5h) (p<0.002), 0.63 fewer operative sessions, shorter mean length of stay (11.8-16.8 days) (p<0.04), less positive tissue cultures (0.59-1.28) (p<0.03). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The 4 measures of the new burns protocol improved burns care and validated the collective effort of a multi-disciplinary, multipronged burns management supported by surgeons, anesthetists, renal physicians, emergency physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare providers. Biobrane, single stage onlay micrograft/allograft, early CRRT and surgery within 24h were successfully introduced. These are useful adjuncts in the armamentarium to be considered for any burns centre.

Critical evaluation of contemporary management in a new Pelvic Exenteration Unit: The first 25 consecutive cases.

AIM: To critically appraise short-term outcomes in patients treated in a new Pelvic Exenteration (PE) Unit. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted by analysing prospectively collected data for the first 25 patients (16 males, 9 females) who underwent PE for advanced pelvic tumours in our PE Unit between January 2012 and October 2016. Data evaluated included age, co-morbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status, preoperative adjuvant treatment, intra-operative blood loss, procedural duration, perioperative adverse event, lengths of intensive care unit (ICU) stay and hospital stay, and oncological outcome. Quantitative data were summarized as percentage or median and range, and statistically assessed by the χ2 test or Fisher's exact test, as applicable. RESULTS: All 25 patients received comprehensive preoperative assessment via our dedicated multidisciplinary team approach. Long-course neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy was provided, if indicated. The median age of the patients was 61.9-year-old. The median ASA and ECOG scores were 2 and 0, respectively. The indications for PE were locally invasive rectal adenocarcinoma (n = 13), advanced colonic adenocarcinoma (n = 5), recurrent cervical carcinoma (n = 3) and malignant sacral chordoma (n = 3). The procedures comprised 10 total PEs, 4 anterior PEs, 7 posterior PEs and 4 isolated lateral PEs. The median follow-up period was 17.6 mo. The median operative time was 11.5 h. The median volume of blood loss was 3306 mL, and the median volume of red cell transfusion was 1475 mL. The median lengths of ICU stay and of hospital stay were 1 d and 21 d, respectively. There was no case of mortality related to surgery. There were a total of 20 surgical morbidities, which occurred in 12 patients. The majority of the complications were grade 2 Clavien-Dindo. Only 2 patients experienced grade 3 Clavien-Dindo complications, and both required procedural interventions. One patient experienced grade 4a Clavien-Dindo complication, requiring temporary renal dialysis without long-term disability. The R0 resection rate was 64%. There were 7 post-exenteration recurrences during the follow-up period. No statistically significant relationship was found among histological origin of tumour, microscopic resection margin status and postoperative recurrence (P = 0.67). Four patients died from sequelae of recurrent disease during follow-up. CONCLUSION: By utilizing modern assessment and surgical techniques, our PE Unit can manage complex pelvic cancers with acceptable morbidities, zero-rate mortality and equivalent oncologic outcomes.

Skin tissue engineering advances in severe burns: review and therapeutic applications.

Current advances in basic stem cell research and tissue engineering augur well for the development of improved cultured skin tissue substitutes: a class of products that is still fraught with limitations for clinical use. Although the ability to grow autologous keratinocytes in-vitro from a small skin biopsy into sheets of stratified epithelium (within 3 to 4 weeks) helped alleviate the problem of insufficient donor site for extensive burn, many burn units still have to grapple with insufficient skin allografts which are used as intermediate wound coverage after burn excision. Alternatives offered by tissue-engineered skin dermal replacements to meet emergency demand have been used fairly successfully. Despite the availability of these commercial products, they all suffer from the same problems of extremely high cost, sub-normal skin microstructure and inconsistent engraftment, especially in full thickness burns. Clinical practice for severe burn treatment has since evolved to incorporate these tissue-engineered skin substitutes, usually as an adjunct to speed up epithelization for wound closure and/or to improve quality of life by improving the functional and cosmetic results long-term. This review seeks to bring the reader through the beginnings of skin tissue engineering, the utilization of some of the key products developed for the treatment of severe burns and the hope of harnessing stem cells to improve on current practice.

The trends of burns epidemiology in a tropical regional burns centre.

INTRODUCTION: Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is a regional burns centre in Southeast Asia and is the only dedicated burns facility providing specialized burns care in Singapore. METHODS: A cohort study was performed for burns patients admitted to SGH from 2011 to 2013. We compared our data with earlier studies and observed the trends of burns epidemiology in Singapore. Results were analyzed using the SPSS programme. RESULTS: 655 patients were admitted during this study period, a 35.9% increase from 2003 to 2005. Scalding by water and flame injury remain the top causes of burns and the mean extent of burn is 9.5%. TBSA correlates with the incidence of burn infection, bacteremia and mortality. Patients with ≥20% TBSA are at a higher risk of bacteremia, and ≥ 34% TBSA is a predictor of mortality. 4.9% (n=32) of our patients developed bacteremia. Bacteremia was associated with a surgical duration of ≥80min. Patients with bacteremia incurred longer hospitalization, and had higher mortality rates. Overall mortality rate of our burns patients has decreased from 4.5% to 2.7% (n=18). Key factors of mortality include inhalational injury, bacteremia and ≥20% TBSA. CONCLUSION: This is a large epidemiology study of a tropical region burns centre. A total of 655 burns cases over a 3-year period were analyzed. We analysed the key factors associated with adverse outcomes including burns infection, bacteremia and mortality, factors associated with mortality, and discussed strategies on the optimization of burns care.

Optimising Aesthetic Reconstruction of Scalp Soft Tissue by an Algorithm Based on Defect Size and Location.

INTRODUCTION: Scalp soft tissue defects are common and result from a variety of causes. Reconstructive methods should maximise cosmetic outcomes by maintaining hair-bearing tissue and aesthetic hairlines. This article outlines an algorithm based on a diverse clinical case series to optimise scalp soft tissue coverage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of scalp soft tissue reconstruction cases performed at the Singapore General Hospital between January 2004 and December 2013 was conducted. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were included in this study. The majority of defects <100 cm² were reconstructed with local flaps and were subdivided by location. Methods included rotation, transposition and free flaps. The most common type of reconstruction performed for defects ≥100 cm² was free flap reconstruction. Multistage reconstruction using tissue expanders aided in optimising cosmetic outcomes. There were no major complications or flap failures. CONCLUSION: By analysing our experience with scalp soft tissue reconstruction, we have developed an algorithm based on defect size and location, achieving excellent closure and aesthetic outcome while minimising complications and repeat procedures.

An algorithm for recipient vessel selection in microsurgical head and neck reconstruction.

This article details an algorithm we used for selection of recipient vessels in free tissue transfer to the head and neck. Eighty-eight consecutive free flaps to the head and neck were performed in 85 patients. The superior thyroid was the commonest recipient artery used (61%). The facial artery, used in 14% of our cases, is the choice vessel in instances where neck dissection is not performed. In these cases, we have to access the neck separately for recipient vessels and it can be exposed easily via a short (3-cm) incision. The superficial temporal artery (11%) is our choice vessel for patients with previous neck dissection or radiotherapy as it is well outside the previous operative or irradiated field. Other vessels such as the transverse cervical and end-to-side anastomosis to the carotid artery were also used when appropriate. Recipient vein selection depends primarily on the selected artery. Corresponding veins and large branches of the internal jugular vein (IJV) in the vicinity of the selected artery are preferred. When these are exhausted, the external jugular vein and end-to-side anastomosis to the IJV are considered. We found this algorithm to be reliable in identifying the appropriate vessels in all cases.

The extended lower trapezius flap for the reconstruction of shoulder tip defects.

Defects of the shoulder tip expose the glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joints and lead to scarring and contractures. Well-vascularized cover is required to restore function and appearance. The latissimus dorsi (LD) flap is commonly employed but its use affects glenohumeral function, which is undesirable in a patient with a shoulder weak from an underlying pathologic condition. We describe the extended lower trapezius (Tz) flap for reconstructing the shoulder tip defects of 3 patients. This pedicled flap is based on the dorsal scapular artery and includes the lower Tz muscle and a long inferior fasciocutaneous extension. All flaps healed without complications and all patients regained good shoulder function with full range of motion. One patient who developed tumor recurrence was treated with re-excision and LD flap reconstruction. The extended lower Tz flap based on the dorsal scapular artery is well suited for reconstructing shoulder defects. With its fasciocutaneous extension, it has a long arc of rotation that is able to reach the shoulder tip. Shoulder morbidity is low as only the lower Tz is detached, minimizing disruption to scapulothoracic function. And as the LD is spared, glenohumeral function is not affected and the option of the LD flap remains available for future use.

Optimizing the use of local muscle flaps for knee megaprosthesis coverage.

Primary muscle flap cover of megaprostheses following limb salvage surgery for tumors around the knee serves to decrease infection rates, provide additional soft tissue cover over the implant, and act as a bed for split-skin grafting. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the role of supplementary muscle flaps such as the hemisoleus, gracilis, and semimembranosus in augmenting coverage provided by gastrocnemius muscle flaps. Between August 1999 and August 2006, 10 patients underwent resection of distal femur (n = 5) or proximal tibia (n = 5) sarcomas, followed by bone reconstruction with a modular megaprosthesis and soft tissue coverage with local pedicled flaps. The average age was 31 years (range, 13 to 47), with pathologic diagnoses inclusive of osteosarcoma (n = 7), chondrosarcoma (n = 2), and recurrent giant cell tumor (n = 1). For proximal tibial tumors, both bellies of the gastrocnemius with hemisoleus for additional soft tissue cover were used. For distal femoral tumors, 1 gastrocnemius belly sutured to the extensor mechanism and gracilis or semimembranosus provided adequate soft tissue cover. All flaps survived without complications, all wounds healed well, and all patients were ambulant after surgery. The role of supplementary muscle flaps was demonstrated in specific situations, where coverage of the subcutaneous area of the midtibia was deficient and where a significant amount of the vastus medialis or gastrocnemius has been resected. Technical refinements included primary skin grafting to relieve tension during skin closure and excision of the aponeurosis over the gastrocnemius and hemisoleus to increase the reach and surface area of the muscle flap.

Targets of genome copy number reduction in primary breast cancers identified by integrative genomics.

The identification of specific oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in regions of recurrent aneuploidy is a major challenge of molecular cancer research. Using both oligonucleotide single-nucleotide polymorphism and mRNA expression arrays, we integrated genomic and transcriptional information to identify and prioritize candidate cancer genes in regions of increased and decreased chromosomal copy number in a cohort of primary breast cancers. Confirming the validity of this approach, several regions of previously-known copy number (CN) alterations in breast cancer could be successfully reidentified. Focusing on regions of decreased CN, we defined a prioritized list of eighteen candidate genes, which included ARPIN, FBN1, and LZTS1, previously shown to be associated with cancers in breast or other tissue types, and novel genes such as P29, MORF4L1, and TBC1D5. One such gene, the RUNX3 transcription factor, was selected for further study. We show that RUNX3 is present at reduced CNs in proportion to the rest of the tumor genome and that RUNX3 CN reductions can also be observed in a breast cancer series from a different center. Using tissue microarrays, we demonstrate in an independent cohort of over 120 breast tissues that RUNX3 protein is expressed in normal breast epithelium but not fat and stromal tissue, and widely down-regulated in the majority of breast cancers (>85%). In vitro, RUNX3 overexpression suppressed the invasive potential of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in a matrigel assay. Our results demonstrate the utility of integrative genomic approaches to identify novel potential cancer-related genes in primary tumors. This article contains Supplementary Material available at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/1045-2257/suppmat.

Plasma free hemoglobin: a novel diagnostic test for assessment of the depth of burn injury.

BACKGROUND: Accurate determination of the depth of burn injury is difficult, even for experienced surgeons. The authors hypothesized that the level of plasma free hemoglobin following burn injury is correlated to the depth of burn injury, and they evaluated this hypothesis in a murine model. METHODS: Full-thickness and partial-thickness burn injuries of varying sizes were inflicted on 38 and 36 male Wistar rats, respectively. Blood specimens were taken at 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after burn injury, and the levels of plasma free hemoglobin were determined spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: Full-thickness burns cause two times more hemolysis than partial-thickness burns (p < 0.05). A linear correlation was demonstrated between plasma free hemoglobin levels and total body surface area burned in both the full-thickness (r = 0.91, p < 0.001) and partial-thickness burn groups (r = 0.94, p < 0.001). The correlation between the quantity of hemolysis and the total body surface area burned was strongest at 15 minutes after the onset of burn injury. The levels of free hemoglobin peaked rapidly between 15 and 30 minutes after thermal injury and declined thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' data suggest that the level of plasma free hemoglobin after burn injury is related to the size and depth of burn injury. This test can potentially be a valuable diagnostic adjunct in the assessment of burns.

The impact of skin banking and the use of its cadaveric skin allografts for severe burn victims in Singapore.

The skin banking programme was set-up in Singapore in 1998 to provide a ready source of allografts for patients with severe burns. The process and problems in establishing a local skin bank will be described together with a retrospective review of skin allograft recipients to determine the efficacy of the programme. For the skin bank set-up, pertinent issues related to legislation, methods, logistics, quality assurance and donation rate are discussed. In this retrospective review, a comparison between patients who had early complete excision with skin allograft transplantation and those who received conventional staged excision and coverage, was analysed in terms of clinical profile and outcome using statistical methods. The former group presented a significant reduction of mortality rate and hospital stay by 29% and 10 days, respectively. The establishment of the skin bank has helped in the management of severe burn patients by facilitating early excision and allografting. In a Burn Centre, therefore, it is essential to have an ample supply of skin allograft for burn victims in readiness for mass disaster situations.

2-Octylcynanoacrylate-assisted microvascular anastomosis in a rat model: long-term biomechanical properties and histological changes.

The aim of this study was to establish the long-term biomechanical and histological properties of 2-octylcyanoacrylate-assisted microvascular anastomosis over conventional suture-only anastomosis in the laboratory rat model. The biomechanical and histological properties of three groups of vessels were compared: 1) vessels with 2-octylcyanoacrylate-assisted anastomoses (study group); 2) vessels with suture-only anastomoses (control group); and 3) normal unoperated vessels (sham group). In total, 144 adult rats were used, and these were studied at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postanastomosis. At 6 months, the tensile strength of study vessels was significantly higher than control vessels. The stiffness of study and control vessels was similar at all time intervals. Histologically, there was no evidence that 2- octylcyanoacrylate caused toxicity to vessel walls, and there was less perivasacular foreign-body giant-cell reaction in the study group compared to the control group. Long-term follow-up showed that microvascular anastomosis with 2-octylcyanoacrylate in rat femoral arteries had superior tensile strength and similar stiffness to vessels anastomosed with sutures only, without adverse effects to surrounding tissues.

The LRINEC (Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis) score: a tool for distinguishing necrotizing fasciitis from other soft tissue infections.

OBJECTIVE: Early operative debridement is a major determinant of outcome in necrotizing fasciitis. However, early recognition is difficult clinically. We aimed to develop a novel diagnostic scoring system for distinguishing necrotizing fasciitis from other soft tissue infections based on laboratory tests routinely performed for the evaluation of severe soft tissue infections: the Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis (LRINEC) score. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study of patients divided into a developmental cohort (n = 314) and validation cohort (n = 140) SETTING: Two teaching tertiary care hospitals. PATIENTS: One hundred forty-five patients with necrotizing fasciitis and 309 patients with severe cellulitis or abscesses admitted to the participating hospitals. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The developmental cohort consisted of 89 consecutive patients admitted for necrotizing fasciitis. Control patients (n = 225) were randomly selected from patients admitted with severe cellulitis or abscesses during the same period. Hematologic and biochemical results done on admission were converted into categorical variables for analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to select significant predictors. Total white cell count, hemoglobin, sodium, glucose, serum creatinine, and C-reactive protein were selected. The LRINEC score was constructed by converting into integer the regression coefficients of independently predictive factors in the multiple logistic regression model for diagnosing necrotizing fasciitis. The cutoff value for the LRINEC score was 6 points with a positive predictive value of 92.0% and negative predictive value of 96.0%. Model performance was very good (Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic, p =.910); area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.980 and 0.976 in the developmental and validation cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The LRINEC score is a robust score capable of detecting even clinically early cases of necrotizing fasciitis. The variables used are routinely measured to assess severe soft tissue infections. Patients with a LRINEC score of > or = 6 should be carefully evaluated for the presence of necrotizing fasciitis.

The gluteus maximus muscle flap for reconstruction of sacral chordoma defects.

Four patients diagnosed with sacral chordoma underwent reconstruction with the gluteus maximus flap using an approach based on available muscle remnants and their residual blood supply. The entire unilateral gluteus maximus muscle was turned over to fill the defect in 2 patients. The flap was based on 1 or 2 gluteal vessels, depending on vessel availability following tumor resection. When all 4 major pedicles had been ligated, bilateral advancement gluteal muscle flaps based on their distal blood supply were used (patient 3). A longitudinally split flap was used for secondary reconstruction of a partially obliterated defect (patient 4). Over a mean follow-up period of 8 months, there was no wound breakdown and all patients were ambulant.

Use of the scrotal remnant as a tissue-expanding musculocutaneous flap for scrotal reconstruction in Paget's disease.

Wide excision of extramammary Paget's disease of the penoscrotal region may leave large defects that cannot be closed easily. The authors describe their experience with a series of 6 patients in whom reconstruction of the scrotal defect was undertaken using the scrotal remnant raised as a stretchable musculocutaneous flap. It was observed that as little as a third of the residual scrotum could be expanded to resurface the entire scrotum. All flaps survived completely. Severe scrotal edema and ecchymosis were observed in 1 patient but the symptoms resolved completely with Trendelenburg positioning. The penile defects were resurfaced individually with thick skin grafts. Good-quality take with no chordee was observed in all patients after initial reconstruction. One patient developed penile contracture after reexcision of recurrent disease. Mean follow-up was 22 months (range, 3-60 months). Large defects of as much as two thirds of the scrotum may be reconstructed successfully using the tissue-expanding scrotal musculocutaneous flap.

Free flap reconstruction in head and neck oncology.

This paper reviews the role of free flap reconstruction following surgical resection of head and neck tumours. The process of selection of the various types of flaps for each specific defect is discussed. Challenges facing the reconstructive surgeon are reiterated.