Infections in Pediatric Burn Patients: An Analysis of One Hundred Eighty-One Patients

Association of length of hospital stay, total body surface area burned, and Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection in burn patients: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The specific relationships between total body surface area burned (TBSA), length of stay (LOS), and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infection remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationship between TBSA and CRKP infection and to examine whether LOS mediates the association between TBSA and the risk of CRKP infection.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected the clinical data of adult burn patients admitted to Nanyang Nanshi Hospital between 2021 and 2023. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to study the risk factors for CRKP infection; restricted cubic spline analysis to investigate the associations between TBSA, LOS, and CRKP infection; and mediation analysis to examine whether LOS mediated the association between TBSA and CRKP infection.

RESULTS

A total of 178 subjects were included in the study; 104 (58.4 %) were male, and the median age was 47 (33-59) years. Thirty-one (17.4 %) subjects developed CRKP infection. Both TBSA and LOS showed a linear positive correlation with the risk of CRKP infection. The LOS mediated the association between TBSA and incident CRKP infection, with a proportion of 17.6 %.

CONCLUSION

The risk of CRKP infection linearly increased as TBSA or LOS increased, and LOS mediated approximately 20 % of the total association between TBSA and CRKP infection.

Does the heat source affect the risk of wound infection in children with scalds?

INTRODUCTION

Scalds are the leading cause of burns in children younger than 5 years of age with most being related to food preparation and consumption. Hot substances causing scalds have different degrees of viscosity varying from low (liquid substances, such as water), to high (semi-solids or solids, such as oils or grease). It is still underknown whether heat substances with different viscosities are associated with varying risks of developing burn wound infections (BWI). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between heat sources of different viscosities and development of BWI within the first week after injury in children with scalds.

METHOD

Children 5 years and younger of age admitted at the Linköping Burn Center for new scalds between 2015 and 2020 were included. Data source for the study population was the Burn Unit Database. BWI was defined as fulfilment of at least two ABA criteria at the time of systemic antibiotic therapy (AB) initiation between day 2-7 following scald. Medical record review was undertaken to identify the heat source causing the scald, BWI criteria, and the use of AB. Legal guardians were contacted in cases in which information was missing. Logistic regression was used to analyse the association between heat source and development of BWI.

RESULT

The study population consisted of 271 children, median age was 1.5 years, 61 % were boys, median burn size was 3.5 % of the total body surface area (TBSA), 10 (4 %) had a full thickness burn. BWI were identified in 69 (26 %) of the children. Most scalds were caused by contact with hot liquids (n=184), followed by semisolids (n=52) and solids (n=35). The logistic regression model showed that the size of the burn (TBSA) was associated with BWI, while type of heating agent was not.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that the viscosity of the heat source does not affect the risk of wound infection in children with scalds; only the size of the area burned was an independent factor for BWI.

Assessing antibacterial efficacy of a polyhexanide hydrogel versus alginate-based wound dressing in burns

OBJECTIVE

Burn injuries pose a heightened risk of infection, which is primarily responsible for increased morbidity and mortality. Factors such as extensive skin damage and compromised immunity exacerbate this vulnerability. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are frequently identified in burns, with Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa often resistant to antibacterial agents. While Flaminal, an alginate-based wound dressing (Flen Health, Belgium), aids wound healing, its antibacterial effects are limited compared with 1% silver sulfadiazine (1% SSD). In contrast, Prontosan Wound Gel X, a betaine and polyhexanide-based hydrogel (B. Braun Medical AG, Switzerland), has been shown to effectively combat various microbes and promotes wound healing.

METHOD

In this study, two research cohorts were retrospectively established (control group: patients receiving standard of care with the alginate-based wound dressing; intervention group: patients receiving the polyhexanide hydrogel wound dressing), comprising patients admitted to a burn centre between 2019 and 2022. Patients were eligible when continuous wound treatment with either of the two wound dressings was performed. Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) scans were conducted. Regions of interest (ROIs) were selected based on LDI scans and divided into healing time categories. Wound swabs were collected and the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus was documented. Bacterial load was evaluated using a semiquantitative scale. Wound healing was recorded.

RESULTS

The control group consisted of 31 patients with 93 ROIs, while the intervention group had 67 ROIs involving 29 patients. Both groups exhibited similar proportions of healing time categories (p>0.05). The polyhexanide hydrogel dressing outperformed the alginate-based dressing in antiseptic efficacy by significantly reducing the incidence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa- and Staphylococcus aureus-positive cultures in patients' wounds. Wound healing time for conservative treatment was comparable between groups.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the polyhexanide hydrogel dressing minimised Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus colonisation in burn wounds, demonstrating strong antibacterial properties, emphasising its potential to minimise infections in burn injuries.

Association of inflammatory biomarkers with overall survival in burn patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

The inflammatory response to burn injuries can lead to organ dysfunction that ultimately results in increased mortality and morbidity. This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the efficacy of inflammatory biomarkers, including the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) as predictive tools of mortality among burn patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The biomarker levels of survivors and non-survivors were consolidated according to guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Three main databases were searched electronically: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, on December 8, 2022. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate and score the methodological quality of the included studies. The standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was utilized.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies were included in our systematic review and meta-analysis, (3636 total burn patients), of whom 2878 survived. We found that deceased burn patients had elevated levels of NLR (SMD = 0.60, 95% CI; 0.19-1.00, P < 0.001), CRP (SMD = 0.80, 95% CI; 0.02-1.58, P = 0.04), and PCT (SMD = 0.85, 95% CI; 0.45-1.24, P < 0.001), compared to survivors. However, we found no association between PLR and mortality among burn patients (SMD = 0.00, 95% CI; -0.14-0.15, P < 0.001). In addition, CRP was significantly higher in non-survivors (SMD = 0.80, 95% CI; 0.02-1.58, P =0.04). Similar results were also found about PCT (SMD = 0.85, 95% CI; 0.45-1.24, P < 0.001). When we analyzed the PCT data, collected in the first 24-48 hours, we found similar results; the PCT level was significantly higher in non-survivors in the immediate postinjury-period (SMD = 0.67, 95% CI; 0.31-1.02, P < 0.001). There was no publication bias among studies on the role of NLR in burn (Egger's test P = 0.91). The based cut-off values for NLR (13), CRP (71), and PCT (1.77) yielded sensitivities of 69.2%, 100%, and 93.33%, and specificities of 76%, 72.22%, and 72.22% respectively.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS

PCT is a marker of sepsis, therefore its elevated level is presumably associated with a higher incidence and severity of sepsis among non-survivors. In addition, NLR and CRP are promising biomarkers for predicting and guiding prevention against burn deaths in clinical settings.

Prognostication of the development of septic complications in children with burn injuries

OBJECTIVE

Aim: To determine the prognostic criteria for the development of septic complications in children with thermal injury.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: A single-center retrospective-prospective cohort study included a retrospective analysis of 98 medical histories of children of different ages with severe burns who were treated from 2007 to 2017. A prospective study was conducted among children (n=63) from 1 to 5 years old, who received various degrees severity burn injury, according to an open comparative method in the period from 2018 to 2021.

RESULTS

Results: Indicators of a high risk of developing sepsis were burns by flames of any etiology, damage severity index ≥75 units, total burn surface ≥25 %, deep burn area ≥ 5%. The threshold value of procalcitonin (PCT) ≥ 0.86 ng/ml on the 1st-3rd day and PCT > 0.51 ng/ml on the 7th day of burn disease, had a prognostic value for assessing the probability of sepsis. On the 1st day of hospitalization, the development of sepsis was predicted if the C-reactive protein (CRP) value was higher than 6.98 ng/ml, on the 3rd - the CRP level was above 7.43 ng/ml, on the 7th day - above 7.28 ng/ml.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Based on the obtained data, we selected the criteria with the best prognostic characteristics, which allows us to predict and prevent the development of sepsis in the early stages of burn disease in children.

Common Resistance Patterns in the Burn Unit of a Tertiary Care Center: A Retrospective Observational Study

Background Nosocomial bacterial infections have been one of the major concerns in the healthcare system. Burn patients, specifically severe cases, are at a high risk of developing bacterial infections compared to others. The most frequent cultures among burn patients are Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Acinetobacter baumannii. There is a scarcity of local data showing the most common infections in burn patients. This research aimed to determine the most common organisms that cause infections in burn unit patients and the antibiotic sensitivity and resistance patterns in King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Jeddah. Methodology In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from patients' files into a data collection sheet. All patients in the burn unit with a positive culture were included in the study using a convenient sampling technique from Best-Care, KAMC electronic medical records. Burn patients with negative culture results and patients who were admitted to the plastic surgery ward for reasons other than burns were excluded. For sample size calculation, convenience sampling of 109 patient medical charts, over the study period from June 2016 to November 2021, was selected for data extraction, analysis, and reporting. Results Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the leading cause of infection in burn patients comprising 33.9% of the cases. Enterobacter cloacae was the second most frequent cause of infection among burn patients (27.5%). Klebsiella pneumoniae was the third most frequent cause of infection (26.6%) while Acinetobacter baumannii was the fourth most frequent cause of infection in burn patients (22.9%). Conclusions Understanding the local epidemiology of bacterial infections will be crucial for the development of treatment guidelines designed to standardize initial antibiotic use, reduce hospital-acquired infections, and reduce drug resistance. More attention should be paid to gram-negative bacteria, specifically Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter Cloacae.

Infections in Patients with Major Burns: A Retrospective Study of a Burn Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVES

Burn related infections are challenging conditions to manage and can cause several complications entailing a complicated treatment. In this study infection in burn patients hospitalized in burn intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care hospital is investigated.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 in burn ICU of a tertiary care hospital. Patients with an ICU stay less than 48 hours and survival less than 72 hours were not included in the study. The demographic and clinical data as well as referral status, the type of infections and the isolated microorganisms, antibiotics used for prophylaxis, outcomes and the mortality rate are evaluated retrospectively from patient files and the hospital registries.

RESULTS

A total of 311 patients were included in our study cohort with a mean age of 22.11±20.9 years. The burned total body surface area was 28.07±17.1 and abbreviated burn severity index was 5.76±2.3. There were 155 patients with 283 infections and the infection rate was 45.8 per 1000 patient days. The most commonly isolated microorganisms were Candida species in blood-stream and urinary tract infections, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in burn wound infections. Most of the deaths (86.7%) occurred in patients with infections.

CONCLUSIONS

In major burns strict adherence to isolation procedures, avoiding delays in referrals, early excision and early wound closure are important measures to reduce infections. Each burn center should develop appropriate antibiotic strategies due to their culture results and prophylaxis with broad spectrum antibiotics should be avoided.

A review of the most impactful published pharmacotherapy-pertinent literature of 2019 and 2020 for clinicians caring for patients with thermal or inhalation injury

Keeping abreast with current literature can be challenging, especially for practitioners caring for patients sustaining thermal or inhalation injury. Practitioners caring for patients with thermal injuries publish in a wide variety of journals, which further increases the complexity for those with resource limitations. Pharmacotherapy research continues to be a minority focus in primary literature. This review is a renewal of previous years' work to facilitate extraction and review of the most recent pharmacotherapy-centric studies in patients with thermal and inhalation injury. Sixteen geographically dispersed, board-certified pharmacists participated in the review. A MeSH-based, filtered search returned 1,536 manuscripts over the previous 2-year period. After manual review and exclusions, only 98 (6.4%) manuscripts were determined to have a potential impact on current pharmacotherapy practices and included in the review. A summary of the 10 articles that scored highest are included in the review. Nearly half of the reviewed manuscripts were assessed to lack a significant impact on current practice. Despite an increase in published literature over the previous 2-year review, the focus and quality remain unchanged. There remains a need for investment in well-designed, high impact, pharmacotherapy-pertinent research for patients sustaining thermal or inhalation injuries.

Multicentre, longitudinal, observational cohort study to examine the relationship between neutrophil function and sepsis in adults and children with severe thermal injuries: a protocol for the Scientific Investigation of the Biological Pathways Following Thermal Injury-2 (SIFTI-2) study

INTRODUCTION

Burn-induced changes in the phenotype and function of neutrophils, cells which provide front-line protection against rapidly dividing bacterial infections, are emerging as potential biomarkers for the early prediction of sepsis. In a longitudinal study of adult burns patients, we recently demonstrated that a combined measurement of neutrophil phagocytic capacity, immature granulocyte (IG) count and plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) levels on the day of injury gave good discriminatory power for the prediction of later sepsis development. However, limited by a small sample size, single-centre design and focus on adult burns patients, these biomarkers require prospective validation in a larger patient cohort. The Scientific Investigation of the Biological Pathways Following Thermal Injury-2 study aims to prospectively validate neutrophil phagocytic activity, IG count and plasma cfDNA levels as early prognostic biomarkers of sepsis in thermally injured adult and paediatric patients.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This multicentre, longitudinal, observational cohort study will enrol 245 paediatric and adult patients with moderate to severe burns within 24 hours of injury. Blood samples will be obtained at 19 postinjury time points (days 1-14, day 28, months 3, 6, 12 and 24) and analysed for neutrophil phagocytic activity, IG count and cfDNA levels. Patients will be screened daily for sepsis using the 2007 American Burn Association diagnostic criteria for sepsis. In addition, daily multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Scores will be recorded relationships between neutrophil phagocytic activity, IG count and plasma cfDNA levels on day 1 of injury and the development of sepsis will be examined using logistic regression models.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study received ethics approval from the West Midlands, Coventry and Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee (REC reference:16/WM/0217). Findings will be presented at national and international conferences, and submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04693442.

C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio Predicts Sepsis and Prognosis in Patients with Severe Burn Injury

Background

Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality among severe burns. This study was conducted to investigate the predictive role of C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) for sepsis and prognosis in severe burns.

Methods

Patients with severe burn injuries from 2013 to 2017 were enrolled and divided into septic and nonseptic groups based on the presence of sepsis within 30 days postburn. Independent risk factors for sepsis were performed by the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The association between CAR level at admission and postburn 30-day mortality was designed via the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results

Of all the 196 enrolled patients, 83 patients developed sepsis within 30 days postburn injury, with an incidence of 42.3%. TBSA percentage (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.17-2.32, P = 0.014) and CAR at admission (OR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.33-3.56, P = 0.009) were the two independent risk factors for sepsis in severe burns by the multivariate logistic regression analysis. A higher CAR level (≥1.66) at admission was associated with a lower postburn 30-day survival rate (P = 0.005).

Conclusions

The CAR level at admission was an independent risk factor for sepsis and prognosis in severe burns.

Pediatric Burn Infection

Background: Severe burns lead to a profound hypermetabolic, hypercatabolic, hyper-inflammatory state. Pediatric burn patients are at significantly increased risk for infection and sepsis secondary to loss of the skin barrier and subsequent immunosuppression. Infection is the most common cause of morbidity and death in pediatric burn patients, and the mortality rate from sepsis remains high. Methods: Review of pertinent English-language literature pertaining to infection among pediatric burn patients. Results: Established risk factors for infection in pediatric burn patients are the depth of injury, presence of inhalation injury, indwelling devices, and total body surface area burned. Total body surface area remains one of the most important risk factors for the development of infectious complications, and mortality risks increase significantly if the burn size is >40%. The predominant colonization of burn wound starts with gram-positive organisms, which are replaced later by gram-negative organisms. Most cases of sepsis in burn patients originate from infected burn wounds. Treatment options include topical and systemic antimicrobial drugs, but surgical intervention often is the most definitive treatment. Excision of burn eschar to remove the source of potential infection is a key component of the treatment as well as prevention of infection. Conclusion: Key principles in improving outcomes for septic pediatric burn patients is early recognition, resuscitation, and adherence to management strategies such as prompt antimicrobial drug administration and source control.