The Scalding Truth: Geospatial Analysis Identifies Communities at Risk for Pediatric Scald Burns.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric scald burns account for 12% of all U.S. burn center admissions and are the most common type of burn in children. We hypothesized that geospatial analysis of burn registry data could identify specific geographic areas and risk factors to focus injury prevention efforts. METHODS: The burn registry of a U.S. regional burn center was used to retrospectively identify pediatric scald burn patients ages 0-17, from January 2018 to June 2023. Geocoding of patient home addresses with census tract data was performed. Area Deprivation Index (ADI) was assigned to patients at the census block group level. Burn incident hot spot analysis to identify statistically significant burn incident clusters was done using the Getis Ord Gi∗ statistic. RESULTS: There were 950 pediatric scald burn patients meeting study criteria. The cohort was 52% male and 36% White, with median age of 3 y and median total body surface area of 1.5%; 23.8% required hospital admission. On multivariable logistic regression, increased child poverty levels (P = 0.004) and children living in single-parent households (P = 0.009) were associated with increased scald burn incidence. Geospatial analysis identified burn hot spots, which were associated with higher ADI (P < 0.001). Black patients were more likely to undergo admission compared to White patients. CONCLUSIONS: Geospatial analysis of burn registry data identified geographic areas at high risk of pediatric scald burn. ADI, poverty, and children in single-parent households were the greatest predictors of injury. Addressing these inequalities requires targeted injury prevention education, enhanced outpatient support systems and more robust community resources.

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.

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.

The effects of lockdown measures due to COVID-19 pandemic on burn cases.

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of lockdown measures implemented due to COVID-19 on aetiology, sociodemographic characteristics, and clinical status of burn cases. This study was carried out retrospectively at the Burn Unit of Dicle University Medical Faculty Hospital. The burn cases during the COVID-19 outbreak were compared with those of the previous 2 years. Statistical analyses were carried out using the IBM SPSS (Statistics Package for Social Sciences) Statistics 25. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and Shapiro-Wilk test were used for data evaluation. Results were evaluated at 95% confidence interval and P < .05 significance level. It was determined that burn cases were reduced by half during the COVID-19 compared to the previous 2 years. Despite the increase in the number of third-degree burns and surgeries, it was determined that the length of hospital stay decreased by an average of two thirds. Hot liquids have been identified as the most important cause of burns in all years. New studies should be conducted in order to examine the social dimension of COVID-19 pandemic in burn cases and to prevent these cases completely. The short hospital stay preferred by clinicians after COVID-19 and possible problems that may arise should be investigated.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Burn center admissions of patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases: clinical characteristics and outcomes.

The ojective of this study was to describe the reasons for admission to the burn center of patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD), identify their clinical characteristics, and assess their outcomes relative to the non-ARD patients. We conducted a retrospective study of ARD patients admitted to a burn center from 2011 to 2018, and they were compared with a non-ARD group of patients. Medical records were reviewed for patients' clinical characteristics, including demographics, ARD diagnosis, laboratory studies, and APACHE II score. Additionally, we evaluate the reason for admission in the burn center, management during the burn center stay, complications, outcomes including length of stay, and mortality during the hospital stay. Among the 1094 adult patients admitted during the study period, 30 (2.7%) had a new or prior diagnosis of ARD. The most common ARD associated with admission in the burn center was rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (37%, n = 11) followed by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (33%, n = 10). Burn injuries (47%, n = 14), and Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) (30%, n = 9) were the most frequent admission reasons. Compared with the non-ARD group (n = 52), ARD patients were more likely to be females (60% vs. 24%, P = 0.004), to receive glucocorticoids (50% vs. 6.9%; P < 0.05), require renal replacement (20% vs. 5%, P < 0.05) and enteral nutrition (63% vs. 24%; P < 0.05) during their burn stay. The non-ARD group was more likely to be admitted for burn injuries (81% vs 46%, P < 0.01). RA and SLE were the most common ARD, and burn injuries, followed by SJS/TEN, the most frequent causes associated with burn admissions. ARD patients were more likely to be female, received glucocorticoids, require renal replacement, and enteral nutrition during the burn stay.

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.

Trends in burn injuries in Galicia (Spain): An epidemiological study.

The treatment of burns is one of the earliest medical activities on record, probably because of the powerful impact of their physical consequences among other sequelae. The aim of the present paper is to perform an epidemiological study of burn patients. The data were obtained by reviewing the medical histories of all those patients admitted or treated in the Outpatients Department of the Burn Unit of our hospital between 2013 and 2017. A sample was gathered of 1401 patients, made up of 716 males (51.11%) and 685 females (48.89%), in a ratio of males to females of 1.05, with a mean age of 40.74 years old. The burns were mainly suffered in a domestic setting (60.96%), mostly as a result of contact with hot liquids. Most of the burns were second degree superficial burns (60.03%), and affected a mean total body surface area (TBSA) of 4.61%. They were most often produced on the hands. It was found that the frequency of burns increased during the summer and during the main mealtimes of the day. These data may be used to make specific plans of prevention, and as a basis for new studies and databases to be made.

Burns in the Emergency Department: A One-Year Single Center Analysis on 355 Cases.

Background: Burns are common reasons for emergency department presentations. While extensive or special burns require treatment in a specialized center, the majority are amenable to ambulatory treatment or hospitalization in a surgical ward. Romania has a national data collecting mechanism regarding all hospitalized patients, but there are no available statistics concerning non-hospitalized burn cases. This study aims to explore the amplitude of burn trauma by analyzing data from an Emergency Department at a major Romanian regional trauma center. Methods: This is a retrospective single-center 1-year study of all burn-related emergency department presentations at the trauma referral center for Romania's North-East region, in 2015. Included in the study were all cases of burns, indiscriminate of their etiology. Results: A total of 355 burn cases were analyzed. The average monthly number of cases was 29.58, with a maximum of 54 and a minimum of 18. There were 206 males and 149 females and 57.7% urban residents. Only 134 cases have been hospitalized during this period. Conclusions: Almost two-thirds of cases have not been hospitalized, thus missing from national statistics. Precise epidemiological data is paramount for a successful national burn management strategy. Creation of a national burn registry is suggested.

Sex-Based Differences in Inpatient Burn Mortality.

BACKGROUND: Among burn patients, research is conflicted, but may suggest that females are at increased risk of mortality, despite the opposite being true in non-burn trauma. Our objective was to determine whether sex-based differences in burn mortality exist, and assess whether patient demographics, comorbid conditions, and injury characteristics explain said differences. METHODS: Adult patients admitted with burn injury-including inhalation injury only-between 2004 and 2013 were included. Inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) and inverse probability of censor weights (IPCW) were calculated using admit year, patient demographics, comorbid conditions, and injury characteristics to adjust for potential confounding and informative censoring. Standardized Kaplan-Meier survival curves, weighted by both IPTW and IPCW, were used to estimate the 30-day and 60-day risk of inpatient mortality across sex. RESULTS: Females were older (median age 44 vs. 41 years old, p < 0.0001) and more likely to be Black (32% vs. 25%, p < 0.0001), have diabetes (14% vs. 10%, p < 0.0001), pulmonary disease (14% vs. 7%, p < 0.0001), heart failure (4% vs. 2%, p = 0.001), scald burns (45% vs. 26%, p < 0.0001), and inhalational injuries (10% vs. 8%, p = 0.04). Even after weighting, females were still over twice as likely to die after 60 days (RR 2.87, 95% CI 1.09, 7.51). CONCLUSION: Female burn patients have a significantly higher risk of 60-day mortality, even after accounting for demographics, comorbid conditions, burn size, and inhalational injury. Future research efforts and treatments to attenuate mortality should account for these sex-based differences. The project was supported by the National Institutes of Health, Grant Number UL1TR001111.

Does Increased Patient Load Improve Mortality in Burns?: Identifying Benchmark Parameters Defining Quality of Burn Care.

INTRODUCTION: In burn care, as in other medical fields, there is a tendency to increase the required number of patients for center certifications. Does the increase in patient load automatically improve the quality of burn care? What are the benchmark parameters that have been shown to improve burn care? METHODS: To answer these questions, Medline, Cochrane Library, and Livivo were searched from inception through January 2018 for all studies evaluating the influence of treatment parameters on outcomes in different burn care settings. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included in this systematic review. In adults, not a single study showed a decreased mortality due to a higher patient load. However, in children, 2 studies demonstrated a further decrease of the already low mortality due to an increase in patient load. In contrast to patient load, benchmark parameters that had a significant influence on the outcome of burn care for adults and children were: single bed isolation, residency programs, American Burn Association certifications of burn centers, speed of wound closure, and standard operating procedures for burn care. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review demonstrates that a clear correlation between patient load and mortality reduction in adult burn treatment is not supported by the existing literature, requiring future studies. In contrast, all efforts aiming to improve the quality of burn care, such as isolation of burn patients, speed of wound closure, American Burn Association verification and especially standard operating procedures for burn care improve survival and quality of burn care.

Effect of Tight Glycemic Control Protocol on Hypoglycemia and Mortality in the Burn Unit: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Burn injury pathophysiology is characterized by severe catabolic state and poor glycemic control. A tight glycemic control protocol using insulin for burn victims has yielded inconsistent mortality and morbidity outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effect of standard and tight glycemic control protocols on mortality and hypoglycemia events in critical care burn patients. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of burn victims admitted to the burn intensive care unit between 2005 and 2011. Patients were assigned to either a standard or a tight glycemic control protocol. RESULTS: Of the 38 burn patients in the study, 28 were under a tight glycemic control protocol. No differences in glucose area-under-the-curve per day levels were observed between the groups (148.3 ± 16 vs. 157.8 ± 16 mg/dl in the standard and tight glycemic control protocol groups respectively, P < 0.12). The hypoglycemic event rate was higher in the tight glycemic control protocol group (46.4% vs. 0%, P < 0.008). No difference in mortality rate was noted (67.9% vs. 50%, P < 0.31). Mortality-independent risk factors found on multivariate analysis included total body surface area (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.039, 95% confidence interval  [95%CI] 1.02-1.06, P < 0.001), white blood cell count on admission (AHR 1.048, 95%CI 1.01-1.09, P < 0.02) and surgery during hospitalization (AHR 0.348, 95%CI 0.13-0.09, P < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The tight glycemic control protocol in burn patients was associated with higher rates of hypoglycemic events, and no association was found with improved survival in the acute setting of burn trauma care.

A retrospective analysis of recurrent pressure ulcer in a burn center in Northeast China.

AIM: A retrospective analysis for the pressure ulcer in our burns center in northeast China was taken in order to find the prognostic factors for ulcer recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected the clinical data of hospitalized patients with pressure ulcer ranging from September 2013 to September 2018 involving initial hospitalized data, follow up visit data and recurrent hospitalized data, further univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis were taken for searching the prognostic factors of recurrent ulcer. RESULTS: The recurrent rate was 8.02%, and in the result of univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis, blood albumin level on admission below 25 g/dl contributed to the strongest predicting factor for recurrence, with HR = 32.745(95%CI = 8.061-133.022, P < 0.001). Multiple ulcers showed the second significant importance for predicting recurrence, with HR = 24.226(95%CI = 3.855-152.231, P = 0.001 < 0.05). Single caregiver contributed to the third prognostic factor, with HR = 0.016(95%CI = 0.004-0.076, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In a conclusion, multiple ulcers, blood albumin level below 25 g/dl on admission and single caregiver were the three prognostic factors for recurrent pressure ulcer and the shortages of medical care out of hospital in northeast China need more attention urgently. Flap treatment may not be a protective factor for ulcer recurrence, but considered the advantages on the closure of deep wounds, it was still an effective treatment for pressure ulcer nowadays.

Epidemiological study of burn patients hospitalised at a burns centre, Manipal.

Burn injuries constitute a major public health problem and account for a significant cause of mortality and morbidity amongst the Indian population. This 2-year prospective study was undertaken to find out the exact epidemiological determinants of 737 patients admitted with burn injuries and, thus, to try and formulate effective preventive strategies. This study was conducted in the department of plastic surgery and burns from September 2011 to June 2013. All consecutive patients with major burns admitted for in-hospital treatment during the study period were included in the study. The data collected included age, gender, cause and mode of burns, total burn surface area (TBSA), microbiological profile and outcome. More than 55% of the patients were female (58.61%). The mean age was 31.3 years ranging from 8 months to 89 years. A higher number of females (97.5%) sustained burn injuries at home compared with 36.11% males sustaining injuries outdoors. (P = 0.000). Almost one third of injuries (40.36%) occurred between 4 pm and 8 pm, followed by 28% between 7 am and 12 noon. Synthetic garments were worn by 70% of females at the time of injury, whereas 40% of males had worn mixed clothing (P = 0.000). Flame injuries contributed to 80.1% of burns in females (P = 0.006). The rate of electrical injuries (9.8%) was significantly higher in males (P = 0.005). In almost 40% of males, TBSA was <19%, whereas in 40% of females, TBSA was >68%. (P = 0.004). Microbial profile showed that pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 260; 35.3%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 209; 28.5%), and Escherichia coli (n = 145; 22.6%) were the most frequent types of Staphylococci bacterial growths. The cause for burn injury was ignition of clothes in 68.74% females, and in 35.48% males, it was because of an attempt to save other burn injury victims (P = 0.013) The case fatality rate was 29.3%. A majority of the males (60.7%) recovered, whereas 45.89% of females succumbed because of their burn injury. (P = 0.001). As the aetiological factors of burn injuries vary considerably in different communities, careful study of the pattern in every community is needed before a sound prevention programme can be planned and implemented. Hence, this study was conducted to assess epidemiological, modes, causes, and risk factors and the microbial profile of burn injuries and to study the outcomes.

Microbial profile of burn wound infections and their antibiotic sensitivity patterns at burn unit of allied hospital Faisalabad.

Microbial infection is the most common and serious complication of burn injury, which is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the bacteriological profiles and the antibiotic sensitivity patterns in burn unit of Allied Hospital Faisalabad over a period of 1 year. During the study period, 393 samples were collected and cultured by conventional method. Disk diffusion method was used to determine the sensitivity/resistance pattern of the isolates. Results were analyzed using SPPS version 20. Out of 393, 332 (84.5%) cases were found to be culture positive. Microbial contamination of the burn wounds was significantly (p<0.05) higher in males (89.3%) as compared to females (78.1%), and in 3rd degree burns (92.2%) as compared to 2nd degree burns (80.8%). Out of 393 patients, 258 (65.6%) cases were of Staphylococcus aurous followed by 169 (43.0%) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 79 (20.1%) of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 67 (17.0%) of Escherichia coli. Among 258 cases of S. aurous, 153 (59.3%) were MRSA and 105 (40.7%) were MSSA. A large proportion (92.8%) of MRSA was sensitive to techoplanin and exhibited high-level resistant (96.7%) to fusidic acid whereas, significant proportion (74.4%) of MSSA isolates showed resistant to fusidic acid. A zero resistance was noted in coagulase negative staphylococci to linezolide, vancomycin and teichoplanin.. Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited high level resistance to tobramycin (91.7%) and were mostly sensitive (93.5%) to cefipiem. Klebsiella penumoniae was most sensitive to meropenem (100%) and most resistant to tobramycin (63.3%). E. coli showed zero resistance cefipiem and a small proportion of isolates (14.9%) exhibited resistance to tobramycin. In conclusion, S. aurous and P. aeruginosa represented the most common bacterial microbes of burn wounds which exhibited variable antibiotic susceptibility pattern. This study revealed a high potential for multiple microorganism outbreaks and emergence of resistant pathogens in burn patients due to the lack of patient screening and extended empirical use of antibiotics.

Abnormal lymphocyte response after pediatric thermal injury is associated with adverse outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Burns are a leading cause of morbidity in children, with infections representing the most common group of complications. Severe thermal injuries are associated with a profound inflammatory response, but the utility of laboratory values to predict infections in pediatric burn patients is poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our institutional burn database was queried for patients aged 18 y and younger with at least 10% total body surface area burns. Demographics, mechanism, laboratory results, and outcomes were extracted from the medical record. Patients were classified as having an abnormal or normal total white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage, and lymphocyte percentage using the first complete blood count drawn 72 or more hours postinjury. Outcomes were compared between groups. RESULTS: White blood cell data were available for 90 patients, 84 of whom had neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages. Abnormal lymphocyte percentage 72 h or more after burn injury was associated with a significant increase in infections (67.9% versus 32.3%, P = 0.003), length of stay (33.1 versus 18.8 d, P = 0.02), intensive care unit length of stay (13.1 versus 3.7 days, P = 0.01), and ventilator days (5.8 versus 2.3, P = 0.02). It was also an independent predictor of infection (odds ratio 7.2, 95% confidence interval 2.1-24.5). CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal lymphocyte percentage at or after 72 h after burn injury is associated with adverse outcomes, including increased infectious risk.

The organisation of critical care for burn patients in the UK: epidemiology and comparison of mortality prediction models.

In the UK, a network of specialist centres has been set up to provide critical care for burn patients. However, some burn patients are admitted to general intensive care units. Little is known about the casemix of these patients and how it compares with patients in specialist burn centres. It is not known whether burn-specific or generic risk prediction models perform better when applied to patients managed in intensive care units. We examined admissions for burns in the Case Mix Programme Database from April 2010 to March 2016. The casemix, activity and outcome in general and specialist burn intensive care units were compared and the fit of two burn-specific risk prediction models (revised Baux and Belgian Outcome in Burn Injury models) and one generic model (Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre model) were compared. Patients in burn intensive care units had more extensive injuries compared with patients in general intensive care units (median (IQR [range]) burn surface area 16 (7-32 [0-98])% vs. 8 (1-18 [0-100])%, respectively) but in-hospital mortality was similar (22.8% vs. 19.0%, respectively). The discrimination and calibration of the generic Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre model was superior to the revised Baux and Belgian Outcome in Burn Injury burn-specific models for patients managed on both specialist burn and general intensive care units.