ABSTRACT
The surgical management of severe ocular burns is challenging and often associated with variable long-term outcome. The aims of this study were to analyze the clinical course of these injuries and determine the factors associated with the need for surgery. A retrospective medical records review was conducted for patients admitted to the Victorian Adult Burns Services, with ocular burns, from January 2000 to January 2010. One hundred and twenty-nine patients were admitted with ocular burns, of which 17 (13.2%) required surgery. The most common indication for surgery was ectropion (n = 9) and the most frequent procedure was full-thickness skin grafts to the eyelids (n = 10). Almost all patients managed surgically developed late ocular complications, the most frequent being visual loss and recurrent ectropion (n = 7 each). Patients undergoing surgery had a longer length of hospital stay (median [interquartile range] 40 [12-90] vs 12 [4-29.5] days; P = .004) and larger TBSA burned (median [interquartile range] 20 [10-60] vs 8 [4-20]; P = .011). Factors associated with the need for surgery included flame burns, periorbital edema, visual loss on presentation, increasing severity of eyelid and facial burns, severe corneal injury, as well as lagophthalmos, ectropion, and microbial keratitis (P < .05). Although only a minority required surgery, these patients often require multiple procedures and develop long-term ocular morbidity.
Subject(s)
Conservative Treatment , Eye Burns/diagnosis , Eye Burns/surgery , Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures/methods , Skin Transplantation/methods , Adult , Aged , Burn Units , Corneal Injuries/surgery , Databases, Factual , Eye Burns/complications , Eyelids/injuries , Facial Injuries/surgery , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Injury Severity Score , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Time Factors , Treatment Outcome , Victoria , Wound Healing/physiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ocular involvement in facial burns may lead to significant long-term morbidity. The aims of this study were to analyse the epidemiology, management and outcomes of ocular burn injuries, as well as to identify risk factors for developing early and late ocular complications. METHODS: A retrospective medical chart review was conducted for 125 patients with ocular burns who were admitted to the Victorian Adult Burns Service (VABS), from November 2000 to January 2010. Univariate analyses was utilised to identify demographic and injury related variables associated with early and late complications. RESULTS: The majority of patients were male (n=101, 80.8%), and the mean (range) age was 40.7 (15-86) years. The most common mechanism was flame burns (n=77, 61.6%), and most were accidental (n=114, 91.2%). Early ocular complications occurred in 50 (40.0% [95% CI: 31.3%-49.1%]) patients, with the commonest being visual loss (n=39, 31.2%). Chemical burns, ocular discomfort, peri-orbital oedema, corneal injury, as well as eyelid and facial burns of increasing severity were associated with developing an early complication. Late ocular complications occurred in 19 (15.2% [95% CI: 9.4%-22.7%]) patients, with visual loss being the most frequent (n=13, 10.4%). Chemical burns, ocular discomfort, corneal injury of increasing severity, visual loss on presentation, ectropion, as well as eyelid burns of increasing depth were associated with late morbidity. CONCLUSION: Chemical burns, ocular discomfort, as well as corneal injury and eyelid burns of increasing severity were risk factors for both early and late ocular complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III (retrospective comparative study).