The changing pattern of pediatric burns in a territory burn center before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric burn patients are an essential part of burn populations. However, there is limited publicly available data on the epidemiological impact of COVID-19 on pediatric burns in China. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, pediatric burn patients admitted to the Department of Burn Surgery of the First Hospital of Jilin University before and during COVID-19 were retrospectively investigated to determine the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric burn inpatients. METHODS: The information of inpatients from July 2017 to December 2019 (pre-COVID-19 group) and from January 2020 to June 2022 (COVID-19 group) in the Department of Burn Surgery at the First Hospital of Jilin University was retrospectively investigated. Demographic information of patients, length of hospital stay, total body surface area (TBSA) of burn injury, post-injury visit time, comorbidity, surgical methods, etc., were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The COVID-19 group included 154 (10.2%) patients, and the pre-COVID-19 group included 335 (19.4%) patients (P＜0.001). There were no differences in gender, age, length of hospital stay, or etiology of burns between the two groups. Compared to the pre-COVID-19 group, patients in the pre-COVID-19 group experienced a significant delay in presentation (P＜0.001), had a larger TBSA of burn wound (P ＜ 0.001), were more prone to sustaining major burns (P ＜ 0.001), a higher likelihood of undergoing operations (P = 0.03), higher cost (P＜0.001) and more complications (P＜0.001). Additionally, upper extremities were the most commonly part involved in both groups (P = 0.004), with the lower extremities showed a significant increase to be involved in burn injury during COVID-19 pandemic (P = 0.007). Furthermore, the majority of guardians did not take first aid measures in both groups following burn injury (P = 0.102). CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic period, scalds remained the main reason for hospitalization. The number of hospitalized patients has decreased dramatically, while the severity of burns has significantly increased, with a notable delay in hospital visits and an increased occurrence of complications.

Assaults by Scalding in British Prisons.

We describe the trends and severity of deliberate scald injuries from assaults within prisons presenting to Pinderfields Hospital in the United Kingdom. Data were obtained using local records of the International Burn Injury Database. Between 2003 and 2019, the hospital's Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns treated 22 cases from at least seven prisons, with 20 cases occurring in the last 4 years. Boiling water was used in most cases. Other substances included syrups of boiling water and sugar, and hot fat. Mean total body surface area was 2.8%, most commonly the face, neck, shoulders, and anterior chest. National data identified 267 cases with a similar rising trend. These injuries increase logistical and financial burdens on our burns service due to the need for added security and police escorts during treatment. "Copycat attacks" within same prisons, sometime on the same day, raise concerns that incidence of these injuries is likely to increase. Outreach nursing and telemedicine facilities may minimize the challenges during the management period.

Cuidados de enfermagem em pacientes queimados nas unidades de terapia intensiva / Nursing care in burned patients in intensive care units / Cuidados de enfermería en pacientes quemados en unidades de cuidados intensivos

Objetivo: evidenciar os cuidados de enfermagem descritos na literatura nacional e internacional que são aplicados em pacientes queimados em terapia intensiva. Método: revisão integrativa, realizada no período de fevereiro a dezembro de 2020, nas bases de dados eletrônicas US National Library of Medicine, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online e Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde. Resultados: foram selecionados oito artigos, os quais foram categorizados em Cuidados de Enfermagem com a pele em pacientes queimados, Cuidados de Enfermagem com a mobilidade em pacientes queimados e Cuidados de Enfermagem em pacientes queimados em relação à dor, dispositivos e prevenção de complicações. Conclusão: os cuidados de enfermagem para pacientes queimados em terapia intensiva estão intensamente atrelados aos cuidados com as lesões de pele e seus desdobramentos, assim como a prevenção de infecções.

Objective: to highlight the nursing care described in the National and International Literature that is applied to burned patients in intensive care. Methods: integrative review, carried out from February to December, 2020, using the following electronic bases: US National Library of Medicine, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online and Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde. Results: it was selected eight articles, which were categorized into Nursing Care for skin in burned patients, Nursing Care for mobility in burned patients and Nursing Care for burned patients in relation to pain, devices and prevention of complications. Conclusion: nursing care for burned patients in intensive care is associated to the care of skin lesions and their consequences, as well as the prevention of infections.

Objetivo: destacar los cuidados de enfermería descritos en la literatura nacional e internacional que se aplican en pacientes quemados en cuidados intensivos. Método: revisión integradora, realizada de febrero a diciembre de 2020, en las bases de datos electrónicas US National Library of Medicine, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online y Virtual Health Library. Resultados: se seleccionaron ocho artículos, los cuales se clasificaron en Cuidados de Enfermería con la Pelea en Pacientes Enfermos, Cuidados de Enfermería con la Movilidad en Pacientes Enfermos y Cuidados de Enfermería en Pacientes Enfermos en relación con el dolor, los dispositivos y la prevención de complicaciones. Conclusión: los cuidados de enfermería a los pacientes quemados en cuidados intensivos están intensamente ligados al cuidado de las lesiones cutáneas y sus desdoblamientos, así como a la prevención de infecciones.

Infecciones asociadas al cuidado de salud en la unidad de quemados durante la pandemia SARS-CoV-2 / Healthcare-associated infections in the burn unit during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Introducción: a partir de la pandemia por Covid19 se reportó variabilidad en la incidencia de las infecciones asociadas al cuidado de la salud (IACS). Con el objetivo de describir y comparar las tasas de IACS en la Unidad de Quemados de un hospital pediátrico de tercer nivel, antes y después del inicio de la pandemia se llevó a cabo este estudio. Material y métodos: estudio de cohorte, retrospectivo, descriptivo, de vigilancia epidemiológica. Se registraron todos los eventos de IACS en la Unidad de Quemados desde el 01/07/2018 hasta el 31/06/2021. Se compararon las tasas de las IACS entre el período I (PI) previo a la pandemia (07/2018-12/2019) y el período II (PII) posterior al inicio de la misma (01/2020- 06/2021). Resultados: se registraron 74 episodios de IACS, en un total de 8232 pacientes-día. Se registró una tasa global de IACS similar en ambos períodos, 10,08 ‰ pacientes-día (PI) vs 7,34 ‰ pacientes-día (PII), sin encontrarse diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las tasas de bacteriemia asociada a catéter venoso central (BSI-CVC) 3,32 ‰ días uso de CVC (PI) vs 3,20 ‰ (PII), neumonía asociada a ARM 1.43 ‰ días de uso de ARM (PI) vs un 2.02 ‰ (PII), ni infección urinaria asociada a sonda vesical (SV) 7,36 ‰ días de uso de SV (PI) vs 3,64 ‰ (PII). Conclusiones: no se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las tasas de IACS entre ambos períodos, lo cual podría justificarse con el estricto protocolo en control de infecciones implementado previo al inicio de la pandemia (AU)

Introduction: since the start of the Covid19 pandemic, variability in the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has been reported. This study was conducted to describe and compare the rates of HAIs in the burn unit of a tertiary pediatric hospital before and after the onset of the pandemic. Material and methods: a retrospective, descriptive, epidemiological surveillance cohort study was conducted. All HAI events in the burn unit from 01/07/2018 to 31/06/2021 were recorded. HAI rates between the pre-pandemic period I (PI) (07/2018- 12/2019) and post-pandemic period II (PII) (01/2020-06/2021) were compared. Results: 74 episodes of HAI were recorded in a total of 8232 patient-days. There was a similar overall rate of HAIs in both periods, 10.08 ‰ patient-days (PI) vs 7.34 ‰ patient-days (PII), with no statistically significant differences found in the rates of central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections (CVC-BSI) 3.32 ‰ days CVC use (PI) vs 3.20 ‰ (PII), ventilator-associated pneumonia 1. 43 ‰ days MV use (PI) vs a 2.02 ‰ (PII), or catheter-associated urinary tract infection 7.36 ‰ days catheter use (PI) vs 3.64 ‰ (PII). Conclusions: no statistically significant differences were observed in the rates of HAIs between both periods, which may be explained by the strict infection control protocol implemented prior to the onset of the pandemic (AU)

Prevalence and risk factors for acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder after burn injury.

BACKGROUND: Psychological consequences of burn injury can be profound. Acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are known sequelae, but routine identification is challenging. This study aims to identify patient characteristics associated with outpatient positive screens. METHODS: The Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder questionnaire (PC-PTSD-4) was administered at initial outpatient Burn Center visits between 5/2018-12/2018. Demographics, injury mechanism, and total body surface area (TBSA) were recorded. Those with ≥3 affirmative answers were considered positive. Patients with positive and negative screens were compared. RESULTS: Of 307 surveys collected, 292 (median TBSA 1.5 %, IQR 0.5-4.0 %) remained for analysis after exclusions. Of those, 24.0 % screened positive. Positive screens were associated with presence of a deep component of the injury, injury mechanism, upper extremity involvement, ICU admission, and prolonged hospital length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: Numerous factors distinguish burn injury from other traumatic mechanisms and contribute to disproportionate rates of traumatic stress disorders. Optimization of burn-oriented ASD and PTSD screening protocols can enable earlier intervention.

Gender-based disparities in burn injuries, care and outcomes: A World Health Organization (WHO) Global Burn Registry cohort study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe the gender-based disparities in burn injury patterns, care received, and mortality across national income levels. METHODS: In the WHO Global Burn Registry (GBR), we compared patient demographics, injury characteristics, care and outcomes by sex using Chi-square statistics. Logistic regression was used to identify the associations of patient sex with surgical treatment and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Among 6431 burn patients (38 % female; 62 % male), females less frequently received surgical treatment during index hospitalization (49 % vs 56 %, p < 0.001), and more frequently died in-hospital (26 % vs 16 %, p < 0.001) than males. Odds of in in-hospital death was 2.16 (95 % CI: 1.73-2.71) times higher among females compared to males in middle-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Across national income levels, there appears to be important gender-based disparities among burn injury epidemiology, treatment received and outcomes that require redress. Multinational registries can be utilized to track and to evaluate initiatives to reduce gender disparities at national, regional and global levels.

Chronic Nerve Pain after Burn Injury: An Anatomical Approach and the Development and Validation of a Model to Predict a Patient's Risk.

BACKGROUND: A model that predicts a patient's risk of developing chronic, burn-related nerve pain may guide medical and/or surgical management. This study determined anatomy-specific variables and constructed a mathematical model to predict a patient's risk of developing burn-related nerve pain. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted from 1862 adults admitted to a burn center from 2014 to 2019. One hundred thirteen patients developed burn-related nerve pain. Comparisons were made using 11 anatomy-specific locations between patients with and without burn-related nerve pain. The modified Delphi technique was used to select 14 potential risk variables. Multivariate regression techniques, Brier scores, area under the curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit, and stratified K-fold cross-validation was used for model development. Chronic pain was defined as pain lasting 6 or more months after release from the Burn Center. RESULTS: Prevalence rates of burn-related nerve pain were similar in the development (6.1 percent) and validation (5.4 percent) cohorts [Brier score = 0.15; stratified K-fold cross-validation (K = 10): area under the curve, 0.75; 95 percent CI, 0.68 to 0.81; Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit, p = 0.73; n = 10 groups]. Eight variables were included in the final equation. Burn-related nerve pain risk score = -6.3 + 0.02 (age) + 1.77 (tobacco use) + 1.04 (substance abuse) + 0.67 (alcohol abuse) + 0.84 (upper arm burn) + 1.28 (thigh burn) + 0.21 (number of burn operations) + 0.01 (hospital length-of-stay). Burn-related nerve pain predicted probability = 1 - 1/[1 + exp(burn-related nerve pain risk score)] for 6-month burn-related nerve pain risk score. As the number of risk factors increased, the probability of pain increased. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors were identified for developing burn-related nerve pain at 11 anatomical locations. This model accurately predicts a patient's risk of developing burn-related nerve pain at 6 months. Age, tobacco use, substance abuse, alcohol abuse, upper arm burns, thigh burns, the number of burn operations, and hospital length of stay represented the strongest predictors. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

An Analysis of Factors Associated with Burn Injury Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

BACKGROUND: Burn injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organization developed the Global Burn Registry to centralize data collection for the guidance of burn prevention programs. This study analyzed the epidemiologic and hospital-specific factors associated with burn injury outcomes in LMICs and high-income countries (HICs). METHODS: A retrospective review was performed using the Global Burn Registry over 3 y. Patients were stratified by income region. Bivariate analyses and stepwise regressions were performed to evaluate patient and hospital demographics and variables associated with injury patterns and outcomes. Outcomes of interest included mortality and length of stay. RESULTS: Over the study period, data were collected on 1995 patients from 10 LMICs (20 hospitals) and four HICs (four hospitals). Significantly higher mortality was seen in LMICs compared with HICs (17% versus 9%; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between income regions for injury patterns (P = 0.062) or total body surface area of the burn injury (P = 0.077). Of the LMIC hospitals in this data set, 11% did not have reliable access to an operating theater. CONCLUSIONS: HICs had a lower overall mortality even with higher rates of concurrent injuries, as well as longer length of stay. LMIC hospitals had fewer resources available, which could explain increased mortality, given similar total body surface area. This study highlights how investing in health care infrastructure could lead to improved outcomes for patients in low-resource settings.

Intubation in burns patients: a 5-year review of the Manchester regional burns centre experience.

Despite criteria to guide intubation from the American Burn Association (ABA), concerns remain regarding over-intubation of burns patients. The purpose of this study was to review appropriateness of intubation at a UK regional burns centre over a 5-year period. A 5-year retrospective review of adult patients admitted to the Manchester Burns Centre who underwent intubation at or prior to admission was performed. Intubations for non-burn indications or burns >40%TBSA were excluded. Patient demographic and burn characteristics data were extracted from medical records. Indications for intubation were compared to ABA and Denver criteria. 47 patients were identified, of which 40 met inclusion criteria for analysis. 72.5% and 95% of these patients met ABA or Denver criteria respectively. 30.8% of patients were extubated within 48 h. 50% patients extubated within 48 h had ≤1 indication for intubation or negative laryngoscopy. Complications related to intubation and ventilation were noted in 37.5% of patients, with ventilation associated pneumonia (VAP) being the most common occurring in 27.5%. 95% of patients fulfilled recognised criteria for intubation. However, 30% were extubated within 48 h, suggesting potentially avoidable intubation. This study suggests current intubation criteria may over-estimate risk of airway compromise and supports results from non-UK studies that a proportion of patients may be suitable for close observation rather than early intubation.

Steam inhalation: More harm than good? Perspective from a UK burns centre.

INTRODUCTION: Steam inhalation is common practice in UK households for coryzal symptoms in adults and children. Steam inhalation has the potential to and has caused significant scald injuries, predominantly due to unintentional contact with the hot water used. METHODS: The authors used electronic health records to retrospectively identify all patients admitted with scald injuries secondary to steam inhalation over a 2-year period from January 2018-December 2019 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, a regional burns centre. Data collected included patient demographics, mechanism of burn, as well as burn size, depth, treatment and any associated complications. An International Burns Injury Database enquiry assessed the national prevalence steam inhalation scalds over the same time period. RESULTS: 19 adult and paediatric patients were identified in our centre over a 2-year period, with an age range of 2 weeks to 91 years old. The majority (16/19, 84%) of patients received burns to their lower body, with three patients receiving burns to their chest and/or upper limbs. Six patients underwent surgery, 98 clinic appointments were utilised and the total length of hospital stay was 83 days. The estimated total cost of treating these 19 patients was over £31,872. Nationally, 201 cases were identified between Jan 2018-Dec 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Scald injuries secondary to steam inhalation have a significant impact both in terms of hospital stay and cost. Since this study captured only patients admitted to hospital, the true negative impact of steam inhalation is likely to be much higher than calculated. Better public awareness on the risks of steam inhalation and primary prevention policies could reduce the frequency of such injuries.

The effect of burn mechanism on pediatric mortality in Malawi: A propensity weighted analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The burden of global trauma disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, with a high incidence in children. Thermal injury represents one of the most severe forms of trauma and is associated with remarkable morbidity and mortality. The predictors of burn mortality have been well described (age, % total body surface area burn [TBSA], and presence of inhalation injury). However, the contribution of the burn mechanism as a predictor of burn mortality is not well delineated. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data, utilizing the Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) Burn Surveillance Registry from May 2011 to August 2019. Pediatric patients (≤12 years) with flame and scald burns were included in the study. Basic demographic variables including sex, age, time to presentation, %TBSA, surgical intervention, burn mechanism, and in-hospital mortality outcome was collected. Bivariate analysis comparing demographic, burn characteristics, surgical intervention, and patient outcomes were performed. Standardized estimates were adjusted using inverse-probability of treatment weights (IPTW) to account for confounding. Following weighting, logistic regression modeling was performed to determine the odds of in-hospital mortality based on burn mechanism. RESULTS: During the study period, 2364 patients presented to KCH for burns and included in the database with 1794 (75.9%) pediatric patients. Of these, 488 (27.6%) and 1280 (72.4%) were injured by flame and scald burns, respectively. Males were 47.2% (n = 230) and 59.2% (n = 755) of the flame and scald burn cohorts, respectively (p < 0.001.) Patients presenting with flame burns compared to scald burns were older (4. 7 ± 3.1 vs. 2.7 ± 2.3 years, p < 0.001) with greater %TBSA burns (17.8 [IQR 10-28] vs 12 [IQR 7-20], p < 0.001). Surgery was performed for 42.2% (n = 206) and 19.9% (n = 140) of the flame and scald burn cohorts, respectively (p < 0.001.) Flame burns had a 2.6x greater odds of in-hospital mortality compared to scald burns (p < 0.001) after controlling for sex, %TBSA, age, time to presentation, and surgical status. CONCLUSION: In this propensity-weighted analysis, we show that burn mechanism, specifically flame burns, resulted in a nearly 3-fold increase in odds of in-hospital mortality compared to scald burns. Our results emphasize flame and scald burns have major differences in the inflammatory response, metabolic profile over time, and outcomes. We may further utilize these differences to develop specialized treatments for each burn mechanism to potentially prevent metabolic dysfunction and improve clinical outcomes.

Epidemiological trends of severe burns, 2009-2019: A study in the service of burns in Albania.

INTRODUCTION: Statistical and epidemiological data taken throughout decades show trends of the pathology of burns and its treatment. The aim of this study is to analyze the summarized epidemiological and clinical data of severe burn patients during the period 2009-2019 in order to acquire an accurate and recent picture of this pathology. This can create a basis for improving community health outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study retrospectively analyzes the data of severe burn patients admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Service of Burns and Plastic Surgery of the University Hospital Center in Tirana, Albania, from 2009 to 2019. SPSS 23 software is used for the conduction of the Descriptive and Inferential Statistics. Statistical significance is defined as p<0.05. RESULTS: Incidence rate of burn admissions which need ICU treatment in our data was 5.2 patients/100,000population/year. The mean age of our population was 24.9±25.5 years. The most frequent causes of burns in all patients were scalds (49.6%) followed by flame (39.5%), electrical (5.1%), chemical (5%) and with unknown cause (0.7%). Death rate from fire and burns for the period 2009-2019 was 0.3 patients per 100,000population/year. Overall mortality was 6.8%. The ABSI, Baux and R Baux scoring system remain accurate and valuable tools in the prediction of burn patient mortality. A probability of death chart for our service has been developed based on age and BSA (%) burned which needs to validate in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Etiology of burns have changed toward an increase in proportion of flame burns especially in adults and elderly population. Survival following severe burns has improved over the past 11 years even in patients with three risk factors (age ≥60, BSA (%) burned ≥40% and presence of inhalation burn). LA 50 for all patients was 80%. LOS/BSA (%) ratio is a more valuable indicator than LOS alone. Improvement in the treatment of severe burns is a combination of preventive health care, appropriate treatment protocols and improvements in equipment and infrastructure.

Bacterial infection profile and predictors among patients admitted to a burn care center: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Infection is the main cause of mortality and complications in burn patients. The present study was the first to examine the local profile and antecedents of bacterial infections among patients admitted to a Lebanese burn care center. METHODS: The present study was a retrospective analysis of the occurrence and recurrence of infection, its characteristics as well as antimicrobial susceptibility among 475 patients admitted to the Burn Centre at the Lebanese Geitaoui Hospital between January 2014 and December 2018. RESULTS: 55% of patients contracted at least one infection during their hospitalization. Length of stay (LOS), sepsis, wound dressing under anesthesia, blood transfusion and female sex independently and positively predicted infection in burn patients. Infection was predominately caused by Staphylococcus aureus (48.7%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22.6%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (15.7%). Bacterial isolates were predominately multi-drug or extensively drug resistant and showed variable antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Recurrent infections occurred in 44.1% of infected burn patients, and were independently predicted by LOS (p = 0.004), sepsis (p = 0.001), surgery (p = 0.003), burn excision and skin grafting (p = 0.019), and central line insertion (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Existing burn management and infection control measures must be revised in order to reduce the incidence and improve the treatment of infections in burn patients.

Epidemiology and Outcome Analysis of 470 Patients with Hand Burns: A Five-Year Retrospective Study in a Major Burn Center in Southwest China.

BACKGROUND This retrospective study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of burns to the hand, including the causes, demographic data, management, and outcome in a single center in Southwest China between 2012 and 2017. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study included 470 patients with hand burns who were treated at a single hospital in Southwest China between 2012 and 2017. Demographic, injury-related, and clinical data were obtained from the clinical electronic data collection system. RESULTS In 470 patients, men were more commonly admitted to hospital with hand burns (73.62%). Children under 10 years (29.57%) were the main patient group. Hospital admissions occurred in the coldest months, from December to March (55.11%). In 60.21% of cases, hand burns occurred outside the workplace. Fire (40.42%), electricity (30.85%), and hot liquids (20.21%) were the main causes of hand burns. Data from 428 patients showed that burns with a larger total body surface area and deeper burns were associated with surgery and amputation. Burn depth was a risk factor for skin grafting, and lack of burn cooling before hospital admission increased the risk of amputation. Data from 117 patients with localized burns showed that full-thickness burns and lack of cooling before admission were associated with an increased hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that in Southwest China, prevention programs for children aged 0-9 years, injuries occurring in winter and non-workplace sites, and fire burns were imperative.

The Effect of Surgical Intervention on Pediatric Burn Injury Survival in a Resource-Poor Setting.

INTRODUCTION: Burns are one of the most common injuries sustained globally. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately affected by burn injury morbidity and mortality; African children have the highest burn mortality globally. In high-income countries, early surgical intervention has shown to improve survival. However, when applied to burn victims in LMICs, improved survival in the early excision cohort (≤5 d) was not seen. Therefore, we aimed to determine the magnitude of the effect of surgical intervention on burn injury survival. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected data, utilizing the Kamuzu Central Hospital Burn Database from May 2011 to July 2019, was performed. Pediatric patients (≤12 y) were included. Patients were excluded if they underwent surgical intervention for nonacute burn care management. Bivariate analyses stratifying by type of surgical intervention was performed, comparing demographics, burn characteristics, surgical intervention, and patient mortality. Standardized estimates were adjusted using the inverse-probability of treatment weights to account for confounding. Weighted logistic regression modeling was performed to determine the odds of mortality based on if a patient underwent surgical intervention. RESULTS: During the study, 2364 patients were seen at the Kamuzu Central Hospital, 1785 (75.5%) were children ≤12 y who met inclusion criteria. In the overall cohort, 342 (19.2%) underwent operations, including split-thickness skin graft (n = 196, 57.3%), debridement (n = 116, 33.9%), escharotomy (n = 19, 5.6%), and amputation (n = 1, 0.3%). The surgery cohort was older (4.2 ± 3.1 versus 3.1 ± 2.6 y, P < 0.001) with larger percent total body surface area burns (16%, interquartile range: 10-24 versus 13%, interquartile range: 8-20, P < 0.001) than those who did not have surgery. In the propensity score-weighted logistic regression predicting survival, patients undergoing surgery after burn injury had an increased odds of survival (odds ratio: 5.24, 95% confidence interval: 2.40-11.44, P = 0.003) when compared with patients not undergoing surgery. CONCLUSIONS: In this propensity-weighted analysis, surgical intervention following burn injury increases the odds of survival by a factor of 5.24 when compared with patients not undergoing surgical intervention. Efforts to enhance burn infrastructure to deliver surgical care is imperative to attenuate burn mortality in resource-poor settings.

The Role of Practice Diversification in the Growth of a Burn Center Network.

Practices within the Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America network have been organized to provide immediate and secondary reconstructive plastic surgery to burn patients. These reconstructive surgery abilities have been further engaged to expand these practices with non-burn-related surgical cases.Seven Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America practices were analyzed to quantitate the effects of nonburn reconstructive cases on practice growth over a 4-year period (2015-2018).All surgical cases were performed during the study period and were analyzed to identify burn-related procedures and procedures not related to burn injuries. Fifty-two percent of the cases were burn-related, whereas 48% were not burn-related. Over the 4-year period, burn cases increased by 46%, whereas nonburn cases increased by 84%. The overall percentage of nonburn cases increased from 43% in 2015 to 50% and 49% in 2017 and 2018.Nonburn cases contributed effectively to practice growth over this period. This practice model successfully engages broad reconstructive surgery skill sets to expand practice volumes.

Variations in access to specialty care for children with severe burns.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric burns account for 120,000 emergency department visits and 10,000 hospitalizations annually. The American Burn Association has guidelines regarding referrals to burn centers; however there is variation in burn center distribution. We hypothesized that disparity in access would be related to burn center access. METHODS: Using weighted discharge data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2001-2011, we identified pediatric patients with International Classification of Diseases-9th Revision codes for burns that also met American Burn Association criteria. Key characteristics were compared between pediatric patients treated at burn centers and those that were not. RESULTS: Of 54,529 patients meeting criteria, 82.0% (n = 44,632) were treated at burn centers. Patients treated at burn centers were younger (5.6 versus 6.7 years old; p < 0.0001) and more likely to have burn injuries on multiple body regions (88% versus 12%; p < 0.0001). In urban areas, 84% of care was provided at burn centers versus 0% in rural areas (p < 0.0001), a difference attributable to the lack of burn centers in rural areas. Both length of stay and number of procedures were significantly higher for patients treated at burn centers (7.3 versus 4.4 days, p < 0.0001 and 2.3 versus 1.1 procedures, p < 0.0001; respectively). There were no significant differences in mortality (0.7% versus 0.8%, p = 0.692). CONCLUSION: The majority of children who met criteria were treated at burn centers. There was no significant difference between geographical regions. Of those who were treated at burn centers, more severe injury patterns were noted, but there was no significant mortality difference. Further study of optimal referral of pediatric burn patients is needed.

Dermatome-Induced Lacerations: An Unspoken Problem in Burn Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Dermatome-induced lacerations are a known complication; however, there is a paucity of literature discussing the incidence and predisposing factors. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors to develop a preventive algorithm. METHODS: An 18-question survey was sent to all US and Canadian burn unit directors. Surgeons were queried about type and location of their practices, average annual caseload of skin graft harvesting, and number of dermatome-induced lacerations. The survey also asked about donor site location, harvesting technique and equipment, laceration severity, and causative factors. An algorithm was developed based on the results. RESULTS: Fifty-six responses (42% response rate) were received from the burn unit directors. They reported an estimated 133 lacerations over the past 5 y. The overall incidence of dermatome-induced lacerations was approximately 0.1% per year (1.3 per 1000 cases). The most commonly attributed causes were excessive pressure (25.0%) and patient factors (18.4%). Most lacerations occurred when using air dermatomes (73.0%) with a 4-inch guard (63.5%), 0.010- to 0.015-inch thickness (78.4%), and 30°-45° angulation (47.3%); the most common brand was Zimmer (71.6%). The dermatome was typically set up by a scrub tech or nurse (48.6%), whereas the skin harvesting was performed by residents (39.2%) or attendings (35.1%). Lacerations typically extended to subcutaneous tissue (70.3%), with no neurovascular injury (86.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that dermatome-induced lacerations are rare events and that certain factors predispose patients to injury. An algorithm was developed to provide guidance on risk factor identification and the set up and use of dermatomes.

Suicídio por queimaduras em mulheres no Distrito Federal, Brasil, no período de 2010 a 2015 / Suicide by burns in women in the Federal District, midwest of Brazil, from 2010 to 2015

Introdução: O suicídio é um sério problema de saúde pública. Estima-se que para cada óbito existam 10 tentativas. Dentre os meios utilizados, as queimaduras têm destaque devido à gravidade das lesões, a alta taxa de letalidade e os grandes prejuízos funcionais, estéticos e psicológicos. As mulheres, por constituírem a maioria dos pacientes com história de tentativa de suicídio e morte por queimaduras, representam um grupo vulnerável que merece recorte para aprofundamento do estudo. Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo, de caráter descritivo de série temporal. Foi desenvolvido na Unidade Tratamento de Queimados e no Instituto de Medicina Legal em Brasília (DF), entre os anos de 2010 e 2015. Resultados: Foram identificadas 42 mulheres com história de suicídio por queimaduras, tentado ou consumado. Houve 15 óbitos relacionados diretamente à lesão térmica. Houve um predomínio da faixa etária entre 30 e 44 anos, seguida por 15 a 29 anos. Em 64,3% dos casos o evento aconteceu no DF. Em relação aos agentes etiológicos, o mais comum foi o álcool (71,4%). A média de superfície corporal queimada foi de 34,38%, sendo que as pacientes que faleceram apresentaram áreas queimadas maiores (59,53%) do que as que sobreviveram (20,4%). Conclusão: Os dados obtidos no DF corroboram informações da literatura. Apesar do progresso envolvendo manejo e tratamento dos pacientes queimados, a prevenção continua sendo a melhor atitude.

Introduction: Suicide is a serious public health problem. For every death, there are an estimated 10 suicide attempts. Among the means of suicide, burns are prominent due to the lesion severity, the high mortality rate, and the severe functional, aesthetic, and psychological damage. Women comprise the majority of patients with a history of attempting suicide and death by burns and represent a vulnerable group that deserves attention. Methods: This retrospective descriptive time-series study was performed in the Burn Treatment Unit at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Brasília, Distrito Federal (DF) between 2010 and 2015. Results: A total of 42 women with a history of suicide by burns, attempted or consummated, were identified; 15 deaths were directly related to the thermal injury. Suicide by burns was the most predominant among patients aged 30 to 44 years was observed, followed by those aged 15 to 29 years. In 64.3% of cases, the event occurred in the Brasília, Distrito Federal (DF). Alcohol was the most common etiological agent (71.4%). The average burned body surface area was 34.38%, and the patients who died presented larger burned areas (59.53%) than that in those who survived (20.4%). Conclusion: The data obtained from the Brasília, Distrito Federal (DF) corroborate information from the literature. Despite progress involving the management and treatment of burn patients, prevention remains the best strategy.