Burn depth assessment

2019 ◽  
pp. 77-88
Author(s):  
Peter George Dziewulski ◽  
Quentin Frew

Burn depth assessment is key assessing healing potential and risk of scarring. It informs wound management and surgical planning. The dynamic and evolving nature of a burn wound can make this difficult. Burns which are likely to take longer than 3 weeks to heal have a significantly increased risk of hypertrophic scar formation leading to functional and aesthetic morbidity. Assessing healing potential allows the treating clinician to optimize wound care and the need for surgical intervention.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole S. Gibran ◽  
Jose P. Sterling ◽  
David M. Heimbach

Current approaches to burn management are based on an understanding of the biology and physiology of human skin and the pathophysiology of the burn wound. The clinical evaluation and initial care of a burn wound is described and includes an assessment of burn depth, determining the need for escharatomy and daily burn wound care. Burns can be topical or surgical. Topical burn wounds require choice in the use of antibiotics. Considerations and techniques for surgical burn wound management are described and include early excision and grafting, wound excision, skin grafting, graft and donor-site dressings, postoperative wound care, biologic dressings and skin substitutes, allograft and xenograft skin, cultured epidermal autografts, and skin substitutes. Figures show the two distinct layers of the skin, various types of burns, and both fascial and tangential excision of burn wounds.  This review contains 12 figures, 11 tables, and 61 references. Keywords: Burn wound, graft, partial-thickness, full-thickness, dermis, epidermis,  sloughing, dressing


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole S. Gibran ◽  
Jose P. Sterling ◽  
David M. Heimbach

Current approaches to burn management are based on an understanding of the biology and physiology of human skin and the pathophysiology of the burn wound. The clinical evaluation and initial care of a burn wound is described and includes an assessment of burn depth, determining the need for escharatomy and daily burn wound care. Burns can be topical or surgical. Topical burn wounds require choice in the use of antibiotics. Considerations and techniques for surgical burn wound management are described and include early excision and grafting, wound excision, skin grafting, graft and donor-site dressings, postoperative wound care, biologic dressings and skin substitutes, allograft and xenograft skin, cultured epidermal autografts, and skin substitutes. Figures show the two distinct layers of the skin, various types of burns, and both fascial and tangential excision of burn wounds.  This review contains 12 figures, 11 tables, and 61 references. Keywords: Burn wound, graft, partial-thickness, full-thickness, dermis, epidermis,  sloughing, dressing


Author(s):  
Herb A Phelan ◽  
James H Holmes IV ◽  
William L Hickerson ◽  
Clay J Cockerell ◽  
Jeffrey W Shupp ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Burn experts are only 77% accurate when subjectively assessing burn depth, leaving almost a quarter of patients to undergo unnecessary surgery or conversely suffer a delay in treatment. To aid clinicians in burn depth assessment (BDA), new technologies are being studied with machine learning algorithms calibrated to histologic standards. Our group has iteratively created a theoretical burn biopsy algorithm (BBA) based on histologic analysis, and subsequently informed it with the largest burn wound biopsy repository in the literature. Here, we sought to report that process. Methods The was an IRB-approved, prospective, multicenter study. A BBA was created a priori and refined in an iterative manner. Patients with burn wounds assessed by burn experts as requiring excision and autograft underwent 4mm biopsies procured every 25cm 2. Serial still photos were obtained at enrollment and at excision intraoperatively. Burn biopsies were histologically assessed for presence/absence of epidermis, papillary dermis, reticular dermis, and proportion of necrotic adnexal structures by a dermatopathologist using H&E with whole slide scanning. First degree and superficial 2 nd degree were considered to be burn wounds likely to have healed without surgery, while deep 2 nd and 3 rd degree burns were considered unlikely to heal by 21 days. Biopsy pathology results were correlated with still photos by five burn experts for consensus of final burn depth diagnosis. Results Sixty-six subjects were enrolled with 117 wounds and 816 biopsies. The BBA was used to categorize subjects’ wounds into 4 categories: 7% of burns were categorized as 1 st degree, 13% as superficial 2 nd degree, 43% as deep 2 nd degree, and 37% as 3 rd degree. Therefore 20% of burn wounds were incorrectly judged as needing excision and grafting by the clinical team as per the BBA. As H&E is unable to assess the viability of papillary and reticular dermis, with time our team came to appreciate the greater importance of adnexal structure necrosis over dermal appearance in assessing healing potential. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that a BBA with objective histologic criteria can be used to categorize BDA with clinical misclassification rates consistent with past literature. This study serves as the largest analysis of burn biopsies by modern day burn experts and the first to define histologic parameters for BDA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S45-S46
Author(s):  
Kelsey L Miller-Willis ◽  
Mini Thomas ◽  
Victor C Joe

Abstract Introduction Daily wound care is an important part of burn wound management to help prevent infection. Literature suggests that daily Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) bathing can reduce the risk of acquiring Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms (MDRO). The purpose of this study was to identify change in overall MDRO acquisition in the Burn Unit with the addition of a 1% CHG solution for wound care to the CHG bathing protocol for burn patients. Methods Prior to March 2018, routine bathing and wound care involved use of CHG-incompatible antibacterial soap and water followed by 2% chlorhexidine gluconate cloths to intact skin. In March 2018, the bathing protocol changed, in consultation with the hospital’s infection prevention program, to involve a 1% CHG solution for burn wounds followed by 2% CHG cloths to intact skin in order to prevent the loss of protective residual CHG due to rinsing with CHG-incompatible soap and water. A solution of 1% CHG was chosen by staff as an acceptable concentration for wound bathing. Adherence was measured through review of daily documentation of bathing in the electronic medical record. Incidences of burn unit-attributable hospital-onset MDRO cultures were reviewed for the following periods: Baseline (Aug 2016-Aug 2017), Phase-In (Sept 2017 – Aug 2018) and Post-Implementation (Sept 2018 – Aug 2019). Results Adherence was >85% throughout the intervention period. No adverse events were noted. Incidences of hospital-onset burn unit MDROs during the following time periods were: 22 cases (Baseline), 15 cases (Phase-In), and 10 cases (Post-Implementation). The most common organisms in the baseline period were Extended-Spectrum b-Lactamase (ESBL) Escherichia coli, MRSA, and Multi Drug Resistant Pseudomonas; and post-implementation, the most common organisms were: MRSA and MDR-Pseudomonas. Conclusions A change to a 1% CHG solution for rinsing burn wounds in the setting of 2% CHG cloths to intact skin was well tolerated and associated with a decline in MDRO acquisition attributable to the burn ICU in the one-year post implementation. Applicability of Research to Practice The use of a 1% CHG solution for burn wounds may help prevent MDRO acquisition in the highly susceptible and unique burn population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrah-Hani Imran ◽  
Chik Ian ◽  
Enda Gerard Kelly ◽  
Razman Jarmin

Initial wound care idioms were designed around a moist dressing in presumed better wound healing. As wound care advances, innovations of dressings were formed. In the Guru-UKM Method (GUM), we combined two well-established dressings producing a synergistic effect in burn wound management. Patients with deep partial thickness burns were selected for the GUM. From the time of admission, they receive 2 cycles of paraffin tulle dressings once every two days to allow demarcation, then are reassessed for suitability of the GUM technique. We discuss 7 different burn cases that presented to our Burn Unit from January 2014 – June 2015.All dressings should create a suitable moist environment for healing, yet should be a painless dressing to help the patient return to normal function as soon as possible. In burn wounds, a suitable dressing ideally also biochemically debrides fibrin and softens hardened eschar and slough, without necessitating the patient to undergo general anaesthesia and surgical debridement. The Guru-UKM Method is a combination dressing technique that facilitates optimal burn wound management.


Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Shin-Chen Pan ◽  
Yao-Hung Tsai ◽  
Chin-Chuan Chuang ◽  
Chao-Min Cheng

Rapid assessment of burn depth is important for burn wound management. Superficial partial-thickness burn (SPTB) wounds heal without scars, but deep partial-thickness burn (DPTB) wounds require a longer healing time and have a higher risk of scar formation. We previously found that DPTB blister fluid displayed a higher angiogenin level than SPTB blister fluid by conventional ELISA. In this study, we developed a paper-based ELISA (P-ELISA) technique for rapid assessment of angiogenin concentration in burn blister fluid. We collected six samples of SPTB blister fluid, six samples of DPTB blister fluid, and seven normal healthy serum samples for analysis. We again chose ELISA to measure and compare angiogenin levels across all of our samples, but we developed a P-ELISA tool and compared sample results from that tool to the results from conventional ELISA. As with conventional ELISA, DPTB blister fluid displayed higher angiogenin levels than SPTB in P-ELISA. Furthermore, our P-ELISA results showed a moderate correlation with conventional ELISA results. This new diagnostic technique facilitates rapid and convenient assessment of burn depth by evaluating a key molecule in burn blister fluid. It presents a novel and easy-to-learn approach that may be suitable for clinically determining burn depth with diagnostic precision.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hunter G. Hoffman ◽  
David R. Patterson ◽  
Gretchen J. Carrougher ◽  
Thomas A. Furness

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S140-S140
Author(s):  
Ekta Vohra

Abstract Introduction Certified wound care nurses perform a vital role in skin health and management in the hospital setting. During the certification process, minimal time is spent on burn wound education, despite the fact that wound care nurses are consulted for various wound etiologies; one of those being burns. This construct created a need for collaboration between the burn team and wound care nurses. Although all burns are essentially wounds, the reality is that all wounds are not burns. The management of the burn wound is often different from the management of pressure injuries or surgical wounds. In speaking with the wound care nurses at this large urban academic medical center, a knowledge gap was identified in burn wound care education as well as appropriate and timely consultation of the burn team. Methods This knowledge improvement project focused on educating the wound care nurses in assessment and treatment of burns, and the process for burn service consultation. Burn education was provided through in-person didactic presentations. The lecture included burn wound photos with opportunities to classify the potential depth of burn wounds as well as typical complications. Additionally, it discussed when a burn consult is needed. A basic knowledge retrospective pre-posttest method was utilized. Results An educational plan was tailored to meet the learning needs of the wound care nurses to address the knowledge gap. Post test data results were tracked. Post scores were increased, indicating a successful educational intervention. Also, while providing the education, the burn outreach coordinator identified an opportunity to expand the burn center’s presence among colleagues through collaboration with the wound care nurses. The wound nurses made excellent ambassadors for the mission of the burn service. Conclusions Provision of burn education across disciplines may improve recognition of burn wounds and facilitate definitive treatment.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 380
Author(s):  
Deepak K. Ozhathil ◽  
Michael W. Tay ◽  
Steven E. Wolf ◽  
Ludwik K. Branski

Thermal injuries have been a phenomenon intertwined with the human condition since the dawn of our species. Autologous skin translocation, also known as skin grafting, has played an important role in burn wound management and has a rich history of its own. In fact, some of the oldest known medical texts describe ancient methods of skin translocation. In this article, we examine how skin grafting has evolved from its origins of necessity in the ancient world to the well-calibrated tool utilized in modern medicine. The popularity of skin grafting has ebbed and flowed multiple times throughout history, often suppressed for cultural, religious, pseudo-scientific, or anecdotal reasons. It was not until the 1800s, that skin grafting was widely accepted as a safe and effective treatment for wound management, and shortly thereafter for burn injuries. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries skin grafting advanced considerably, accelerated by exponential medical progress and the occurrence of man-made disasters and global warfare. The introduction of surgical instruments specifically designed for skin grafting gave surgeons more control over the depth and consistency of harvested tissues, vastly improving outcomes. The invention of powered surgical instruments, such as the electric dermatome, reduced technical barriers for many surgeons, allowing the practice of skin grafting to be extended ubiquitously from a small group of technically gifted reconstructive surgeons to nearly all interested sub-specialists. The subsequent development of biologic and synthetic skin substitutes have been spurred onward by the clinical challenges unique to burn care: recurrent graft failure, microbial wound colonization, and limited donor site availability. These improvements have laid the framework for more advanced forms of tissue engineering including micrografts, cultured skin grafts, aerosolized skin cell application, and stem-cell impregnated dermal matrices. In this article, we will explore the convoluted journey that modern skin grafting has taken and potential future directions the procedure may yet go.


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