scholarly journals 42 COVID-19 Slowdown? Not in Our Burn Center!

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S31-S32
Author(s):  
David G Greenhalgh ◽  
Kathleen S Romanowski ◽  
Soman Sen ◽  
Tina L Palmieri

Abstract Introduction There has been a great concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has interfered with burn care. The feeling has been that resources have been shifted to treating the COVID patients and that “shelter-in-place” requirements have reduced the risks for burn injury. The ABA and other organizations have sent biweekly surveys in order to determine how the pandemic has interfered with burn care. Despite these concerns, we seemed very busy. Methods The inpatient data was collected in our adult and pediatric burn centers between January 1, 2020 and August 31, 2020. Results During the COVID-19 pandemic there was an increase in burn admissions in both adult and pediatric centers. At the same time there were 1270 COVID-19 adult admissions and 4 COVID-positive admissions at the pediatric center. In the adult center, there was increase from 414 total admissions from fiscal year 2019 (7/2018-6/2019) of 414 to 495 for fiscal year 2020 (7/2019-6/2020). The average daily census also increased from 18.33 to 18.36 during the same period. The monthly number of burn admissions increased from 38.5/month for the last six months of 2019 to 44/month for the first six months of 2020. The admission rate continued in July (41) and August (47). In the first 8 months of 2020, there were 356 admissions with a mean TBSA of 11.3%. There were many large burns admitted in late summer. The mean TBSA of the 12 bed ICU on September 11, 2020 was 60.6% (range 25–85%). In the pediatric unit, there were 174 admissions through July 2020, a 6% increase from the preceding same period. There was a 6% decrease in burn reconstruction. Conclusions Despite a significant burden of COVID-19 patients, burn admissions also increased at the same time. There was no evidence that “shelter-in-place” requirements changed the risk for burn injuries. Resources for critical care needs should not be siphoned away from burn centers during pandemics. Risky behaviors leading to burns do not go away despite new health crises.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S67-S67
Author(s):  
Tina L Palmieri ◽  
Kathleen S Romanowski ◽  
Soman Sen ◽  
David G Greenhalgh

Abstract Introduction Climate change, the encroachment of populations into wilderness, and carelessness have combined to increase the incidence of wildfire injuries. With the increased incidence has come an increase in the number of burn injuries. Prolonged extrication, delays in resuscitation, and the extreme fire and toxic air environment in a wildfire has the potential to cause more severe burn injury. The purpose of this study is to examine the demographics and outcomes of wildfire injuries and compare those outcomes to non-wildfire injuries. Methods Charts of patients admitted to a regional burn center during a massive wildfire in 2018 were reviewed for demographic, treatment, and outcome. We then obtained age, gender, and burn size matched controls from within 2 years of the incident, analyzed the same measures, and compared treatment and outcomes between the two groups. Results A total of 20 patients, 10 wildfire (WF) burns and 10 non-wildfire (NWF) burns, were included in the study. Age (59.6±7.8 WF vs. 59.4±7.4 years), total body surface area burn (TBSA) (14.9±4.7 WF vs. 17.2±0.9 NWF) and inhalation injury incidence (2 WF and 2 NWF) were similar between groups. Days on mechanical ventilation (24.3±19.4 WF vs. 9.4±9.8 NWF), length of stay (49.9±21.8 WF vs. 28.2±11.7 days) and ICU length of stay (43.0±25.6 WF vs 24.4±11.2 NWF) were higher in the WF group. WF patients required twice the number of operations. Mortality was similar in both groups (1 death/group). Conclusions Wildfire burn injuries, when compared to age, inhalation injury, and burn size matched controls, require more ventilatory support and have more operations. As a result, they have longer lengths of stay and have a prolonged ICU course. Burn centers should be prepared for the increased resource utilization that accompanies wildfire injuries. Applicability of Research to Practice All burn centers must be prepared for the possibility of wildfires and the increased resource utilzation that accompanies mass casualty events.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S56-S57
Author(s):  
Zachary J Collier ◽  
Yasmina Samaha ◽  
Priyanka Naidu ◽  
Katherine J Choi ◽  
Christopher H Pham ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Despite ongoing improvements in burn care around the world, the burden of burn morbidity and mortality has remined a significant challenge in the Middle East due to ongoing conflicts, economic crises, social disparities, and dangerous living conditions. Here, we examine the epidemiology of burn injuries in the Middle East (ME) relative to socio-demographic index (SDI), age, and sex in order to better define regional hotspots that may benefit most from sustainability and capacity building initiatives. Methods Computational modeling from the 2017 Global Burden of Disease (GBD17) database was used to extrapolate burn data about the nineteen countries that define the ME. Using the GBD17, the yearly incidence, deaths, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2017 were defined with respect to age and sex as rates of cases, deaths, and years per 100,000 persons, respectively. Mortality ratio represents the percentage of deaths relative to incident cases. Data from 2017 was spatially mapped using heat-mapping for the region. Results Over 27 years in the ME, an estimated 18,289,496 burns and 308,361 deaths occurred causing 24.5 million DALYs. Burn incidence decreased by 5% globally but only 1% in the ME. Although global incidence continued to decline, most ME countries exhibit steady increases since 2004. Compared to global averages, higher mortality rates (2.8% vs 2.0%) and DALYs (205 vs 152 years) were observed in the Middle East during this time although the respective disparities narrowed by 95% and 42% by 2017. Yemen had the worst death and DALY rates all 27 years with 2 and 2.2 times the ME average, respectively. Sudan had the highest morality ratio (3.7%) for most of the study, twice the ME average (1.8%), followed by Yemen at 3.6%. Sex-specific incidence, deaths, and DALYs in the ME were higher compared to the global cohorts. ME women had the worst rates in all categories. With respect to age, all rates were worse in the ME age groups except in those under 5 years. Conclusions For almost three decades, ME burn incidence, deaths, DALYs, and mortality rates were consistently worse than global average. Despite the already significant differences for burn frequency and severity, especially in women and children, underreporting from countries who lack sufficient registry capabilities likely means that the rates are even worse than predicted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 205951312095233
Author(s):  
Lincoln M Tracy ◽  
Yvonne Singer ◽  
Rebecca Schrale ◽  
Jennifer Gong ◽  
Anne Darton ◽  
...  

Introduction: The ageing global population presents a novel set of challenges for trauma systems. Less research has focused on the older adult population with burns and how they differ compared to younger patients. This study aimed to describe, and compare with younger peers, the number, causes and surgical management of older adults with burn injuries in Australia and New Zealand. Methods: The Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand was used to identify patients with burn injuries between 1 July 2009 and 31 December 2018. Temporal trends in incidence rates were evaluated and categorised by age at injury. Patient demographics, injury severity and event characteristics, surgical intervention and in-hospital outcomes were investigated. Results: There were 2394 burn-injured older adults admitted during the study period, accounting for 13.4% of adult admissions. Scalds were the most common cause of burn injury in older adults. The incidence of older adult burns increased by 2.96% each year (incidence rate ratio = 1.030, 95% confidence interval = 1.013–1.046, P < 0.001). Compared to their younger peers, a smaller proportion of older adult patients were taken to theatre for a surgical procedure, though a larger proportion of older adults received a skin graft. Discussion: Differences in patient and injury characteristics, surgical management and in-hospital outcomes were observed for older adults. These findings provide the Australian and New Zealand burn care community with a greater understanding of burn injury and their treatments in a unique group of patients who are at risk of poorer outcomes than younger people. Lay Summary The number and proportion of older persons in every country of the world is growing. This may create challenges for healthcare systems. While burn injuries are a unique subset of trauma that affect individuals of all ages, less is known about burns in older adults and how they differ from younger patients. We wanted to look at the number, type, management, and outcomes of burns in older adults in Australia and New Zealand. To do this, we used data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand, or BRANZ. The BRANZ is a database that collects information on patients that present to Australian and New Zealand hospitals that have a specialist burns unit. Our research found that one in eight adult burns patients was over the age of 65, and that the rate of burn injuries in older adults has increased over the last decade. Older adult burns patients were most commonly affected by scalds after coming in contact with wet heat such as boiling liquids or steam. Fewer older adults went to theatre for an operation or surgical procedure compared to their younger counterparts. However, a larger proportion of older adults that went to theatre had a skin graft (where skin is removed from an uninjured part of the body and placed over the injured part). This research provides important information about a unique and growing group of patients to the local burn care community. It also highlights potential avenues for injury prevention initiatives.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-319
Author(s):  
Santosh Bikram Bhandari ◽  
Sujit Kumar Sah ◽  
Khakindra Bahadur Bhandari ◽  
Jaswan Sakya ◽  
Laxmi Raj Pathak ◽  
...  

Background: According to WHO, burns are a serious public health problem and the second most common cause for injury in rural Nepal, accounting for 5% of disabilities. The overall objective of the study is to assess the prevailing perception and practice among community people and health service providers on care and management of burn injuries in Nepal. Methods: This was a qualitative study conducted in 2016 representing all eco-development regions. A total of 40 key informants interviews with health personnel and 18 focus group discussions with the community people were conducted.Results: There are very limited dedicated burn care facilities in Nepal. During discussion, the service providers and community people mentioned that a burn injury can affect any one irrespective of their age and socioeconomic status. The study showed that females are at higher risk for burn injury which is associated mostly with wood fire cooking.The burn cases in the hospitals were more during winter than insummer season. Among all the ethnic groups, Dalit and indigenous population were found more vulnerable towards burn injuries. Intentional burn injuries such as self-inflicted burns/suicidal attemptwere found to occur more in females.The community people had a good practice of taking the majority ofpatients having burn injury immediately to the hospital,if not, they at least provided them with a first aid treatment. Conclusions: Majority of burn injured cases are getting first aid treatment at the incident places and taking hospital immediately. Main reasons, who reached late, are unaware about seeking services and financial constraint. Overall, the community people are partially aware about the burn injury.Keywords: Burn injuries; community practice; hospitals; incident and types.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-300
Author(s):  
Stephen Frost ◽  
Liz Davies ◽  
Claire Porter ◽  
Avinash Deodhar ◽  
Reena Agarwal

Respiratory compromise is a recognised sequelae of major burn injuries, and in rare instances requires extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Over a ten-year period, our hospital trust, an ECMO centre and burns facility, had five major burn patients requiring ECMO, whose burn injuries would normally be managed at trusts with higher levels of burn care. Three patients (60%) survived to hospital discharge, one (20%) died at our trust, and one patient died after repatriation. All patients required regular, time-intensive dressing changes from our specialist nursing team, beyond their regular duties. This review presents these patients, as well as a review of the literature on the use of ECMO in burn injury patients. A formal review of the overlap between the networks that cater to ECMO and burn patients is recommended.


2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (S 01) ◽  
pp. S15-S22
Author(s):  
Prabhat Shrivastava ◽  
Arun Goel

ABSTRACTThe care provided to the victims of burn injury immediately after sustaining burns can largely affect the extent and depth of the wound. Although standard guidelines have been formulated by various burn associations, they are still not well known to public at large in our country. In burn injuries, most often, the bystanders are the first care providers. The swift implementation of the measures described in this article for first aid in thermal, chemical, electrical and inhalational injuries in the practical setting, within minutes of sustaining the burn, plays a vital role and can effectively reduce the morbidity and mortality to a great extent. In case of burn disasters, triage needs to be carried out promptly as per the defined protocols. Proper communication and transport from the scene of the accident to the primary care centre and onto the burn care facility greatly influences the execution of the management plans


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 853-858
Author(s):  
Kavitha Ranganathan ◽  
Charles A Mouch ◽  
Michael Chung ◽  
Ian B Mathews ◽  
Paul S Cederna ◽  
...  

Abstract Timely treatment is essential for optimal outcomes after burn injury, but the method of resource distribution to ensure access to proper care in developing countries remains unclear. We therefore sought to examine access to burn care and the presence/absence of resources for burn care in India. We surveyed all eligible burn centers (n = 67) in India to evaluate burn care resources at each facility. We then performed a cross-sectional geospatial analysis using geocoding software (ArcGIS 10.3) and publicly available hospital-level data (WorldStreetMap, WorldPop database) to predict the time required to access care at the nearest burn center. Our primary outcome was the time required to reach a burn facility within India. Descriptive statistics were used to present our results. Of the 67 burn centers that completed the survey, 45% were government funded. More than 1 billion (75.1%) Indian citizens live within 2 hours of a burn center, but only 221.9 million (15.9%) live within 2 hours of a burn center with both an intensive care unit (ICU) and a skin bank. Burn units are staffed primarily by plastic surgeons (n = 62, 93%) with an average of 5.8 physicians per unit. Most burn units (n = 53, 79%) have access to hemodialysis. While many Indian citizens live within 2 hours of a burn center, most centers do not offer ICU and skin bank services that are essential for modern burn care. Reallocation of resources to improve transportation and availability of ICU and skin bank services is necessary to improve burn care in India.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S118-S119
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E Carter ◽  
Herbert Phelan ◽  
Nicole M Kopari ◽  
Steven Kahn ◽  
Joseph Molnar ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Optimal management of facial burn injuries remains a significant challenge in burn care. Acute surgical intervention is often coupled with delayed reconstructive procedures as an essential option for burn care. Experience with new surgical technologies could challenge historic reconstructive ladders. Our goal was to pragmatically assess the rate of successful intervention with autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) for the treatment of facial burn injuries from real-world data. Methods A retrospective review from five burn centers over a three-year period was performed from deidentified registry data for facial burn injuries initially treated with ASCS. Cases of non-acute thermal burn and burns not involving the face were excluded. Data collection included: date of surgery, last follow-up date, need for grafting (split or full thickness skin graft, STSG or FTSG, respectively) or reapplication of ASCS within the same hospitalization, and reconstruction not including laser procedures due to scarring during the follow-up period. Descriptive statistics were calculated and data are reported as median with interquartile ranges where appropriate. Results A total of 72 burn injuries were treated with ASCS for facial burn injuries. Two burn centers treated 4 patients each, one treated 18, and the remaining two treated 22 and 24 patients. The median follow-up was 199 days (range 9 -1,150 days). Acute failure requiring a second treatment with ASCS or application of a full-thickness or split-thickness autograft occurred in 12 (16%) of the patients with 5 undergoing re-application of ASCS and 7 undergoing FTSG or STSG. reconstruction secondary to scarring during the follow-up period occurred in 10 (14%) of patients. Reconstruction was required in 1 of 5 patients that underwent a second treatment with ASCS as opposed to 4 of 5 patients treated with FTSG or STSG. Conclusions This study represents the largest experience with the use of ASCS for the management of facial burn injury in the reported literature. Use of ASCS from real-world data indicated that ASCS successfully resulted in definitive wound closure in 90% of the patients treated with facial burn injuries, with 10% requiring secondary intervention. This failure rate is below the previously published rate of 33%, indicating the disruptive potential of this technology for the management of facial burn injuries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 205951311876487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Green ◽  
Julia Cadogan ◽  
Diana Harcourt

Introduction: Distraction is a non-pharmacologic pain management technique commonly used to avert a person’s attention from procedural pain and distress during stressful procedures such as treatment after a burn injury. In recent years, computer tablets (such as iPads) have been used within paediatric burns services to facilitate distraction by way of apps, games, cartoons and videos during dressing changes. However, we know very little about health professionals’ experiences of using them in this context. Methods: The current study explored health professionals’ experiences of using iPads to facilitate distraction during paediatric burn dressing changes. Fifteen health professionals from a single paediatric burns unit were interviewed. Thematic analysis revealed two key themes: (1) the iPad is a universal panacea for distraction; and (2) trials and tribulations. Discussion: Participants considered iPads to be potentially useful and effective distraction tools, suitable for use with a wide range of patients with burn injuries including young children, adolescents and young adults. However, issues including health professionals’ understandings of one another’s roles, the challenge of working in a busy burns service, and lack of experience and confidence were identified as possible barriers to their use within routine burn care. Training for staff on the use of iPads as a means of facilitating distraction, development of guidelines and a review of how they are incorporated into routine burn care are recommended.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S37-S38
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E Carter ◽  
Blake Platt ◽  
Charles T Tuggle

Abstract Introduction Burn injuries remain a surgical challenge with few recent innovations. Grafting with split-thickness skin grafts (STSGs) has been the standard of care for decades. Although shown to have mortality benefits, STSGs are associated with significant morbidity in the form of pain and additional open wounds. For years, surgeons have looked for ways to decrease this associated morbidity. To that end, autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) is a recently FDA-approved point of care regenerative medicine technology that reduces donor skin requirements without compromising clinical outcomes. Our study evaluated the cost and length of stay comparing STSG alone versus ASCS. Methods We obtained IRB-approval for single institution, retrospective chart review of patients age &gt;14 years admitted with burn injuries from March 2018 – September 2018. Primary outcome was length of stay/%TBSA for patients undergoing STSG alone as compared to patients undergoing ASCS. The 2016 American Burn Association National Burn Repository (NBR) was used to benchmark LOS/%TBSA. Age, percentage burn injury (TBSA), LOS, mortality, and number of surgeries were reviewed. Student’s t-test was used to assess statistical significance of intragroup analysis. Results 36 patients were treated with ASCS in combination with meshed autografts for full-thickness acute burn injuries. 37 patients were treated with STSGs at our center. Mean age and %TBSA was 45.2 years and 6.6% for the STSG group and 46.0 years and 18.6% for the ASCS group. The LOS/%TBSA for the STSG was 1.72 versus 1.19 for the ASCS patients (p-value=0.02). The NBR predicts a LOS/%TBSA of 3.38 and 3.42 for the STSG and ASCS groups. Patients in the STSG group and ASCS group had statistically similar surgeries and mortalities. Conclusions Burn injured patients treated with ASCS had a decreased LOS/%TBSA when compared to both the STSGs and NBR predictions. ASCS is a novel technology allowing for point-of-care treatment that may decrease LOS for burn injured patients and should be considered as an adjunct to traditional techniques for burn patients. Applicability of Research to Practice Reduced length of stay compared to traditional burn care.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document