Burn rehabilitation and research: proceedings of a consensus summit.

Burn rehabilitation is an essential component of successful patient care. In May 2008, a group of burn rehabilitation clinicians met to discuss the status and future needs of burn rehabilitation. Fifteen topic areas pertinent to clinical burn rehabilitation were addressed. Consensus positions and suggested future research directions regarding the physical aspects of burn rehabilitation are shared.

A clarion to recommit and reaffirm burn rehabilitation.

Burn rehabilitation has been a part of burn care and treatment for many years. Yet, despite of its longevity, the rehabilitation outcome of patients with severe burns is less than optimal and appears to have leveled off. Patient survival from burn injury is at an all-time high. Burn rehabilitation must progress to the point where physical outcomes parallel survival statistics in terms of improved patient well-being. This position article is a treatise on burn rehabilitation and the state of burn rehabilitation patient outcomes. It describes burn rehabilitation interventions in brief and why a need is felt to bring this issue to the forefront. The article discusses areas for change and the challenges facing burn rehabilitation. Finally, the relegation and acceptance of this responsibility are addressed.

The effect of positioning devices and pressure therapy on outcome after full-thickness burns of the neck.

The postoperative management of full-thickness burns of the neck can be a challenge for burn therapists despite the availability of many treatment modalities to minimize scar hypertrophy and contracture. Interventions include pressure appliances, massage, exercise, and positioning devices. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with the development of neck contractures and optimal treatment strategies for their prevention. We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients admitted to our pediatric burn center between 1989 and 2003 with acute full-thickness neck burns. Rehabilitation protocols used for each patient were examined. The necessity of a reconstructive procedure was analyzed, as well as time from initial grafting to that procedure. We identified 49 eligible subjects. Patients ranged in age from 0.6 to 14.2 years at the time of injury. The number of factors present which inhibited both positioning and application of pressure to the neck was found to be significantly related to the need for neck reconstruction (P < .01). Patients who had tracheostomies had a mean time to neck reconstruction of 20.3 months compared with 43.4 months in patients without tracheostomies (P < .05). Also, although not statistically significant, greater than 80% of patients who were discharged with reduced range of motion of the neck required reconstruction compared with fewer than 65% of patients with normal neck range. Delayed pressure and positioning of the neck after skin grafting result in an earlier and more frequent need for neck reconstruction.