Pediatric Frostbite Treated by Negative Pressure Wound Therapy:

Frostbite in the Pediatric Population: A Comprehensive Review and a Prospective Canadian Survey

INTRODUCTION

Frostbite in the pediatric population, where skeletal maturity has not been achieved, can have important repercussions on subsequent growth. Yet, the optimal management of frostbite injuries in children remains vague. This review aims to summarize the current evidence for frostbite management in children and understand Canadian practice trends on this topic.

METHODS

A review using Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and gray literature was performed to identify relevant literature on the clinical manifestations, diagnostic methods, and treatment options in pediatric frostbite. An online survey was sent to plastic surgeons through the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons (CSPS) mailing list to further identify national practices and trends for pediatric frostbite management.

RESULTS

A total of 109 articles were reviewed. No article provided a specific algorithm for pediatric frostbite, with existing recommendations suggesting the use of adult guidelines for treating children. Our survey yielded 9 responses and highlighted the rarity of pediatric frostbite cases, with no responder treating more than 10 cases per year. Most (55.6%) do not use a pediatric-specific treatment algorithm, whereas 30% apply adult guidelines. A conservative approach focusing on rewarming (55.6%), limb elevation (50%), and tetanus status verification (66.7%) was predominant. Imaging and surgical interventions seem to be reserved for severe cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The current literature for pediatric frostbite management lacks specificity. Canadian practices vary, with a trend toward a conservative approach. The limited evidence and rarity of experience highlight the need for further research, ideally in a collaborative multicentric manner, to create a consensus for pediatric frostbite care.

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Pediatric Burn Patients: A Systematic Review

Significance: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) requires the placement of a dressing over a wound, covered with an adhesive film, and applying to these dressing a negative pressure in a controlled fashion. This therapy is a powerful complement to surgical care of wounds. Data are however poor on its use in pediatric burns. Recent Advances: This systematic review, including a total of 466 patients, shows that NPWT as the initial treatment for burned children and after skin grafting has been shown to produce promising results. In the majority of studies, skin graft take rate is close to 100%. This therapy is particularly beneficial in the pediatric population because of less frequent dressing changes and early mobilization. NPWT devices accurately quantify burns water losses and allow tailoring liquid resuscitation. Critical Issues: NPWT is not in the subject of controlled clinical trials in pediatric; most publications are case reports or retrospective reviews. The sporadic complications include bleeding, local infections, and mechanical device issues. Future Directions: NPWT has been used in 2-month up to 18-year-old children with deep second- to third-degree burn of multiple etiologies, from a few days up to several months, on small to 40% total body surface area (%), and in difficult areas. Data gathered provide empirical guidelines on NPWT use in pediatric burns using continuous mode with a pressure of -50 to -75 mmHg for children younger than 2 years, and -75 to -125 mmHg in children over 2 years of age. Prospective randomized studies are needed to provide validated rules.

Comprehensive Treatment of Single Finger Frostbite: A Case Study

Third- and fourth-degree frostbites usually result in loss of skin and tissue requiring amputation, and scarring. The 3- to 6-week waiting period is often necessary to determine the severity of the lesion. This period is also a critical time for the rescue of frostbitten tissue. This patient was a 30-year-old man who developed frostbite of his right index finger. He presented to our hospital 4 hours after injury with loss of sensation on the whole index finger and early signs of necrosis. The patient received a series of comprehensive treatments, including fasciotomy, injection of papaverine hydrochloride, baking lamp irradiation, and negative pressure treatment. At the time of discharge, he had re-epithelialization of the index finger by 21 days after injury. The conclusion of this paper is that the comprehensive treatments combined with negative pressure wound treatment has certain clinical application value for the rescue of deep frostbite tissues.

Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy in Infants and Children: A Population-Based Study

BACKGROUND

Although the safety and benefits of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) have been clearly demonstrated in the adult population, studies evaluating the safety and describing the use of NPWT in the pediatric population have been limited. Given this paucity, the goals of this study were to (1) evaluate the literature dedicated to NPWT use in infants and children and (2) leverage a population-level analysis to describe the experience of NPWT use in the pediatric population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a literature review and analyzed the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial Claims Databases from 2006 to 2014 to identify infants and children treated with NPWT. We evaluated patient characteristics, indications, complications before and after NPWT placement, and health care utilization within 30 d of NPWT placement.

RESULTS

We identified 457 articles, 11 of which fit our inclusion criteria. Most studies (65.2%) were case reports or series with less than 10 patients. In addition, we identified 3184 patients aged younger than of 18 y who were treated with NPWT between 2006 and 2014. Serious incident complications within 30 d after NPWT placement were rare (bleeding 0.6%, septicemia 0.5%, and sepsis 0.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the lack of robust studies, NPWT is widely used for many indications and across different ages and providers. Given the low incidence of serious complications, we conclude that NPWT use in infants and children is safe and can be effectively used by different providers spanning surgical and nonsurgical disciplines.