Guidelines for Burn Care Under Austere Conditions: Surgical and Nonsurgical Wound Management

Development of Prepositioned Burn Care-specific Disaster Resources for a Burn Mass Casualty Incident

Disaster preparedness for a burn mass casualty incident (BMCI) must consider the needs of the first responders and community hospitals, who may be the first to receive those patients. Developing a more comprehensive statewide burn disaster program includes meeting with regional healthcare coalitions (HCCs) to identify gaps in care. Quarterly HCC meetings, which link local hospitals, emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, and other interested parties, are held around the state. We rely on the HCC's regional meetings to serve as a platform for conducting focus group research to identify gaps specific to a BMCI and to inform strategy development. One of the deficiencies identified, particularly in rural areas that infrequently manage burn injuries, was a lack of burn-specific wound care dressings that could support the initial response. Relying on this process, a consensus was created for equipment types and quantities, including a kit for storage. Furthermore, maintenance, supply replacement, and scene delivery processes were developed for these kits that could augment a BMCI response. The feedback from the focus groups reminded us that many systems report having infrequent opportunities to provide care for patients with burn injuries. In addition, several types of burn-specific dressings are expensive. With the infrequent occurrence, EMS agencies and rural hospitals reported that it was doubtful their agency/hospital would have more than a minimal stock of burn injury supplies. Therefore, developing supply caches that can be quickly mobilized and deployed to the impacted area was one of the deficiencies we identified and addressed through this process.

Applications, opportunities, and challenges in using Telehealth for burn injury management: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Burns are global public health devastating and life-threatening injuries. Telehealth can be an appropriate answer for the effective utilization of health care resources, prevention referrals and reduce socio-economic burden of burns injuries. Thus, this study aimed to systematically evaluate the applications, opportunities, and challenges of using telehealth in burn injuries management.

METHODS

A structured search was conducted according to PRISMA statement guidelines in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct as well as the Google Scholar for studies published until June 28, 2022. Of the total 2301 yielded studies, 36 articles were included in the final review. Quality appraisal was done according to the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018. Thematic analysis was applied for data analysis.

RESULTS

Patient triage, transfer, and referral (38.9%) follow-up (22%), care (22%), consultation (9%), education (3%), and rehabilitation (3%) were the most prevalent application of telehealth, respectively. Our findings identified 72 unique concepts, eight initial themes, and two clinical and administrative final themes for opportunities of using telehealth in burn injury management. Furthermore, we identified 27 unique concepts, three initial themes, and two clinical and administrative final themes for remaining challenges.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite providing pivotal opportunities such as improving burn injury diagnosis and quality of care, increasing patient and provider satisfaction, and cost containment using telehealth in burn injuries management, the concept faces challenges such as the impossibility of the physical examination of patients and technological difficulties. Our findings provide valuable information for policymakers and decision-makers infield of burn injuries and effective planning for using telehealth technology.

Burn Care in Low-Resource and Austere Settings

More than 95% of the 11 million burns that occur annually happen in low-resource settings, and 70% of those occur among children. Although some low- and middle-income countries have well-organized emergency care systems, many have not prioritized care for the injured and experience unsatisfactory outcomes after burn injury. This chapter outlines key considerations for burn care in low-resource settings.

Clinical decision-support for acute burn referral and triage at specialized centres - Contribution from routine and digital health tools

BACKGROUND

Specialized care is crucial for severe burn injuries whereas minor burns should be handled at point-of-care. Misdiagnosis is common which leads to overburdening the system and to a lack of treatment for others due to resources shortage.

OBJECTIVES

The overarching aim was to evaluate four decision-support tools for diagnosis, referral, and triage of acute burns injuries in South Africa and Sweden: referral criteria, mortality prediction scores, image-based remote consultation and automated diagnosis.

METHODS

Study I retrospectively assessed adherence to referral criteria of 1165 patients admitted to the paediatric burns centre of the Western Cape of South Africa. Study II assessed mortality prediction of 372 patients admitted to the adults burns centre by evaluating an existing score (ABSI), and by using logistic regression. In study III, an online survey was used to assess the diagnostic accuracy of burn experts' image-based estimations using their smartphone or tablet. In study IV, two deep-learning algorithms were developed using 1105 acute burn images in order to identify the burn, and to classify burn depth.

RESULTS

Adherence to referral criteria was of 93.4%, and the age and severity criteria were associated with patient care. In adults, the ABSI score was a good predictor of mortality which affected a fifth of the patients and which was associated with gender, burn size and referral status. Experts were able to diagnose burn size, and burn depth using handheld devices. Finally, both a wound identifier and a depth classifier algorithm could be developed with relatively high accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

Altogether the findings inform on the use of four tools along the care trajectory of patients with acute burns by assisting with the diagnosis, referral and triage from point-of-care to burns centres. This will assist with reducing inequities by improving access to the most appropriate care for patients.

Cerium Nitrate Treatment in the Management of Burns

Significance: The standard of care for deep burn wounds is eschar excision and autologous skin grafting within the first postburn days. However, when this is not practical due to medical reasons, unavailable surgical facilities, or lack of donor sites or other coverage, surgeons have used topical cerium nitrate (CN) in a cream with silver sulfadiazine (SSD) for over four decades to convert the eschar into a pliable and protective crust that facilitates the postponement or staging of eschar excision and grafting. CN+SSD treatment is reported to reduce dressing changes, improve patient comfort, and reduce bacterial burden, with unaffected epithelialization and few complications. Recent Advances: CN aqueous solutions applied topically alone or together with solid silver dressings in animal models have mitigated wound injury progression, wound microbial burden, and systemic immune dysfunction. Critical Issues: CN+SSD cream is not approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its efficacy in clinical trials has been challenging to demonstrate. One reason is that CN changes the eschar visibly, introducing unavoidable bias. Also, the market and patient population is small and burn wound presentation is highly variable. Future Directions: For use in settings wherein the once- or twice-daily CN+SSD cream dressing changes are least feasible (low-income, military, and mass casualty settings), it may be possible to develop a solid dressing containing cerium and silver that requires infrequent dressing changes. For future clinical studies, the trial design most suited to comparing silver-containing dressings with and without cerium may be paired difference of matched intrapatient wounds.

Topical Antimicrobial Agents for the Prevention of Burn-Wound Infection. What Do International Guidelines Recommend? A Systematic Review

Background

Choosing adequate topical antimicrobial agents in burn patients still represents a challenge. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to compile and evaluate current recommendations in international clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to develop more consistent clinical guidance.

Methods

A systematic search for CPGs was conducted independently by two reviewers using PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and external citations. The quality of the selected CPGs was evaluated separately using the AGREE II instrument, and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using R V 1.4.1 statistical software.

Results

Eleven CPGs were included in the study. Most guidelines tend to recommend silver-containing dressings over antiseptics or antibiotics, regardless of the depth of the burn. Silver sulfadiazine is the most recommended topical antimicrobial in low-resource settings. An overall mean appraisal AGREE II score of 68.2% was obtained. The global intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.62 (95% confidence intervals 0.54-0.69), which corresponds to a substantial global concordance between both appraisers.

Conclusions

Great heterogeneity was found between recommendations and CPGs. The three determining factors considered to issue a recommendation were the clinical scenario, burn-wound depth, and burn severity. There is consensus among the guidelines to use topical antimicrobials as a tool to prevent infection, and most of these recommend the use of silver-containing dressings for most scenarios. However, there is currently no ideal topical antimicrobial agent that can be recommended for all clinical scenarios. The development of more consistent recommendations is warranted to standardize clinical practice.

Satisfaction and Functional Outcome of Surgical Treatment in Patients with Brachial Plexus Injury: A Decade of Retrospective Comparative Study

Background

Brachial plexus injury (BPI) is a severe peripheral nerve injury resulting in physical disability. Few studies have investigated the postoperative functional status. We aimed to evaluate the satisfaction with surgical treatment in patients with BPI referred to the Panzdah-e Khordad Hospital, Tehran, Iran from 2011 to 2021.

Methods

In this descriptive-analytical retrospective comparative study, physical examination, along with BrAT, and DASH questionnaires were used to evaluate the patients' status. Then the collected data on the patients' functional status and movements were collected. To compare the mean of quantitative variables before and after the surgery, the dependent t-student was used.

Results

Generally, the patients stated that they still had considerable difficulty doing most of the items of the questionnaires. Nevertheless, there was a significant difference between the following variables before and after surgery; shoulder abduction goniometry (0-150) and force (M0:M5), shoulder external rotation goniometry (0-90) and force (M0:M5)), shoulder forward flexion goniometry (0-180) and force (M0:M5)), elbow flexion goniometry (0- 150), elbow extension force (M0:M5), and wrist and finger muscle force (M0:M5) (P<0.001).

Conclusion

Posterior approach in BPI surgery was associated with good outcomes in terms of shoulder external rotation and abduction. However, patients still suffered from difficulties in daily activities.

Characteristics of burn casualties treated at role 2 in Afghanistan

BACKGROUND

Role 2 medical treatment facilities (MTFs) are frequently located in austere settings and have limited resources. A dedicated assessment of burn casualties treated at this level of care has not been performed. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize burn casualties presenting to role 2 MTFs in Afghanistan, along with the procedures they required, complications, and mortality to begin understanding the resources consumed by their care.

METHODS

We identified burn casualties from the Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DODTR). The inclusion criteria were (1) experienced burn injuries in Afghanistan between October 2005 and April 2018 and (2) had documentation of treatment at role 2 in the DODTR. We excluded casualties with only first-degree burns, not otherwise specified burns, or only corneal burns. Casualty demographics, injury characteristics, procedures, and outcomes were reported.

RESULTS

We identified 453 burn casualties with a median (interquartile range) Injury Severity Score of 10 (4-22) and percent total body surface area burned of 11 (5-30). There were 123 casualties (27.2%) with inhalation injury, and the casualties experienced 3,343 additional traumatic injuries and needed 2,530 procedures. Casualties with documentation of resuscitation information received a median (interquartile range) of 1.9 (0.7-3.7) L of crystalloid fluids. Complications were documented in 53 casualties (11.7%). Final mortality was reported in 36 casualties (8.0%), and mortality at role 2 MTFs was reported in 7 casualties (1.5%).

CONCLUSION

Burn casualties had many injuries and needed many procedures, including those related to airway management, resuscitation, and wound care. Given the urgency of these procedures, ensuring that there is enough equipment and supplies will be important in the future. Although infrequent, some casualties experienced complications. Factors that may influence resuscitation include injury severity, concomitant traumatic injuries, and available supplies. Obtaining more contextual information on the patient care environment will be useful going forward.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Epidemiological, level III.

The Patient's Perspective: Burn Reconstructive Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the Covid-19 pandemic, hospital systems delayed or halted elective surgeries and outpatient care, profoundly disrupting reconstructive burn treatment ranging from surgery to postoperative therapy. This study aims to characterize burn patients' perspectives on reconstructive surgery during Covid-19. A 12-component questionnaire to burn patients awaiting reconstructive surgery at a single ABA verified Burn Center was administered. Responses regarding willingness to undergo reconstruction, perceived medical and personal impacts of Covid-19, and perspectives on telehealth were gathered. Surveys were administered to patients/caregivers over the phone in English and Spanish. Inclusion criteria consisted of burn patients who had elective reconstructive surgeries delayed or canceled as a result of the pandemic. 51 patients met our inclusion criteria. Of those, 23 patients responded to our survey (45%). Average patient age was 23, 43% were male, and a majority (52%) were pediatric. 22 (96%) patients were willing to undergo reconstruction during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite a perceived increased risk. 43% disagreed or strongly disagreed that telehealth adequately enabled communication with their burn care provider. 78% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more susceptible to Covid-19 as burn patients. 83% agreed or strongly agreed that the Covid-19 pandemic had created stressors specifically related to their burn care. The majority of patients expressed a strong desire to return to surgical and therapeutic care delayed by Covid-19. Patients reported feeling especially vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic as burn patients, and cited difficulty obtaining care and financial stressors as the main causes.

Effectiveness and Safety of Compound Polymyxin B Ointment in Treatment of Burn Wounds: A Meta-analysis

Burn injuries represent a global public health concern. The guidelines for burn care mention that the treatment depends on burn injury depth of tissue, area of wounds, and site on the body. At present, several topical antimicrobial agents are used in treatment of burns wounds as a first choice. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the compound polymyxin B topical agents for treatment of burn wounds. PubMed, the Web of Science, ProQuest and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched for articles published until January 2021. The studies that conducted clinical trials comparing compound polymyxin B ointment with other treatment reagent for burn wound treatment were included. A total of 3 outcomes were investigator-assessed clinical response, including mortality, bacterial counts, efficacy and safety.In total, 12 randomized controlled trials, 1 clinical trial, 2 prospective studies, and 1 retrospective study were extracted. The result of mortality showed no significant difference (risk ratio [RR]: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.21-2.31, P = .56); wound healing revealed [RR]:1.59 (95% CI: 1.40-1.81, P < .001); time to heal revealed a mean difference of -5.09 (95% CI: -6.31 to -3.86) days (P < .001); scar incidence was no significantly lower in the treatment group (RR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.38-1.30, P = .26); and adverse event incidence was significantly lower in the treatment group (RR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.09-0.72, P < .01. The compound polymyxin B ointment show the effectiveness of increase the wound healing and accelerate the time of healing with fewer adverse effects.

Made in Germany: A Quality Indicator Not Only in the Automobile Industry But Also When It Comes to Skin Replacement: How an Automobile Textile Research Institute Developed a New Skin Substitute

Successful research and development cooperation between a textile research institute, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research via the Center for Biomaterials and Organ Substitutes, the University of Tübingen, and the Burn Center of Marienhospital, Stuttgart, Germany, led to the development of a fully synthetic resorbable temporary epidermal skin substitute for the treatment of burns, burn-like syndromes, donor areas, and chronic wounds. This article describes the demands of the product and the steps that were taken to meet these requirements. The material choice was based on the degradation and full resorption of polylactides to lactic acid and its salts. The structure and morphology of the physical, biological, and degradation properties were selected to increase the angiogenetic abilities, fibroblasts, and extracellular matrix generation. Water vapor permeability and plasticity were adapted for clinical use. The available scientific literature was screened for the use of this product. A clinical application demonstrated pain relief paired with a reduced workload, fast wound healing with a low infection rate, and good cosmetic results. A better understanding of the product's degradation process explained the reduction in systemic oxidative stress shown in clinical investigations compared to other dressings, positively affecting wound healing time and reducing the total area requiring skin grafts. Today, the product is in clinical use in 37 countries. This article describes its development, the indications for product growth over time, and the scientific foundation of treatments.

Topical Antimicrobial Agents for Burn Wound Care: History and Current Status

Background: Infection is the leading cause of death after thermal injury. Optimal prevention and treatment of burn wound infection is enabled by an in-depth understanding of burn wound treatment modalities not only from a technical standpoint, but also from the standpoint of the clinical context in which these modalities were originally developed. Methods: A review of the historical literature on the topical antimicrobial care of burn wounds was performed. Results: As our understanding of post-burn infection evolved, and as new products were developed for the prevention of post-burn wound infection, major advances in post-burn survival occurred. Ultimately, improvements in anesthetic, surgical, and critical care management have permitted early excision and grafting of the burn wound, decreasing but not eliminating the importance of topical antimicrobial care, and shifting much of the burden of wound infection prevention to the post-operative period. Conclusions: The development of effective topical antimicrobial agents for wound care was, arguably, the single most important advance in the care of the burn patient. Still, many gaps in our ability to treat complicated burn wounds remain. Fungal infection is an unusual but daunting challenge. Patients with impaired wound healing and those with advanced age or medical comorbidities may not benefit from early excision, and the benefits of early excision may not be available in austere or remote locations. For these reasons, research on optimal topical treatment continues.

Successful management of the open abdomen with hydrocolloid dressing in a resource-constrained setting

PURPOSE

To evaluate and detail the management of a difficult, long-term, open abdomen in a resource constraint setting with the use of Hydrocolloid dressing.

METHOD

An observational retrospective study was conducted at a single level-1 trauma center. Over a 5-year period, all the open abdomen patients were evaluated and the cohorts who were treated with Hydrocolloid dressings were described in detail from their admission to their discharge.

RESULTS

During this period, there were 147 open abdomens. 7.5% (11) patients required long-term open abdomen management, in which Hydrocolloid dressing was utilized. Of this group, there were no entero/colonic-atmospheric fistulas, and there was either de-novo complete skin coverage, successful skin graft placement, or definitive abdominal wall repair in all the patients. De-novo complete skin coverage took an average of 7.4 months. All the patients were discharged home after an average of 107 days hospitalized.

CONCLUSION

Despite not being an optimal management of an open abdomen, there are always a small group of these patients who lose abdominal domain, are critically ill or injured, and have prolonged hospitalization with an open abdomen. In this cohort, and especially in resource constraint settings, Hydrocolloid dressing is a cost-efficient, simple, and effective method to treat the 'long-term' open abdomens.

Enzymatic Debridement of Porcine Burn Wounds via a Novel Protease, SN514

Necrotic tissue generated by a thermal injury is typically removed via surgical debridement. However, this procedure is commonly associated with blood loss and the removal of viable healthy tissue. For some patients and contexts such as extended care on the battlefield, it would be preferable to remove devitalized tissue with a nonsurgical debridement agent. In this paper, a proprietary debridement gel (SN514) was evaluated for the ability to debride both deep-partial thickness (DPT) and full-thickness burn wounds using an established porcine thermal injury model. Burn wounds were treated daily for 4 days and visualized with both digital imaging and laser speckle imaging. Strip biopsies were taken at the end of the procedure. Histological analyses confirmed a greater debridement of the porcine burn wounds by SN514 than the vehicle-treated controls. Laser speckle imaging detected significant increases in the perfusion status after 4 days of SN514 treatment on DPT wounds. Importantly, histological analyses and clinical observations suggest that SN514 gel treatment did not damage uninjured tissue as no edema, erythema, or inflammation was observed on intact skin surrounding the treated wounds. A blinded evaluation of the digital images by a burn surgeon indicated that SN514 debrided more necrotic tissue than the control groups after 1, 2, and 3 days of treatment. Additionally, SN514 gel was evaluated using an in vitro burn model that used human discarded skin. Treatment of human burned tissue with SN514 gel resulted in greater than 80% weight reduction compared with untreated samples. Together, these data demonstrate that SN514 gel is capable of debriding necrotic tissue and suggest that SN514 gel could be a useful option for austere conditions, such as military multi-domain operations and prolonged field care scenarios.

Are burn centers in German-speaking countries prepared to respond to a burn disaster? Survey-based study

Burn disasters present a challenge not only to burn centers but the entire healthcare system. Most burn centers worldwide are unprepared to deal with a burn disaster as it is an uncommon event. We investigated the status of burn center preparedness in German-speaking countries to respond to a burn disaster. Self-administered survey questionnaires were sent to the directors of burn centers; the questions of survey used before in a similar way in Belgium were translated into German language. Of the 46 questioned burn centers, 32 (78%) responded, including all of the German adult burn centers. A clear difference in the preparation status of the burn centers in the three countries was observed due to geopolitical factors such as decentralized healthcare systems. However, the healthcare system is generally well-prepared concerning command, transfer, and capacity to provide sustained supplies to handle a massive influx of patients. Nevertheless, there are some gaps in the areas of planning and preparation, funding for disaster activities, and regular training of staff for burn disasters. We call for a unified burn disaster plan and increased cooperation between burn centers and civil defense regarding communication and training. We strongly recommend the implementation of a special disaster fund and telemedicine in disaster management to circumvent shortages in burn staff.

Palliation, end-of-life care and burns; concepts, decision-making and communication - A narrative review

Palliative care is the turn from cure as the priority of care to symptom relief and comfort care. Although very little is published in the burn literature on palliative care, guidelines can be gleaned from the general literature on palliative care, particularly for acute surgical and critical care patients. Palliative care may be started because of futility, on request of the patient, or because of limited resources. The SPIKES acronym is a useful guide to avoid errors in communication with terminal patients and their relatives.

Actionable, Revised (v.3), and Amplified American Burn Association Triage Tables for Mass Casualties: A Civilian Defense Guideline

Burn care remains among the most complex of the time-sensitive treatment interventions in medicine today. An enormous quantity of specialized resources are required to support the critical and complex modalities needed to meet the conventional standard of care for each patient with a critical burn injury. Because of these dependencies, a sudden surge of patients with critical burn injuries requiring immediate and prolonged care following a burn mass casualty incident (BMCI) will place immense stress on healthcare system assets, including supplies, space, and an experienced workforce (staff). Therefore, careful planning to maximize the efficient mobilization and rational use of burn care resources is essential to limit morbidity and mortality following a BMCI. The U.S. burn care profession is represented by the American Burn Association (ABA). This paper has been written by clinical experts and led by the ABA to provide further clarity regarding the capacity of the American healthcare system to absorb a surge of burn-injured patients. Furthermore, this paper intends to offer responders and clinicians evidence-based tools to guide their response and care efforts to maximize burn care capabilities based on realistic assumptions when confronted with a BMCI. This effort also aims to align recommendations in part with those of the Committee on Crisis Standards of Care for the Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Sciences. Their publication guided the work in this report, identified here as "conventional, contingency, and crisis standards of care." This paper also includes an update to the burn Triage Tables- Seriously Resource-Strained Situations (v.2).

Burn injury

Burn injuries are under-appreciated injuries that are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Burn injuries, particularly severe burns, are accompanied by an immune and inflammatory response, metabolic changes and distributive shock that can be challenging to manage and can lead to multiple organ failure. Of great importance is that the injury affects not only the physical health, but also the mental health and quality of life of the patient. Accordingly, patients with burn injury cannot be considered recovered when the wounds have healed; instead, burn injury leads to long-term profound alterations that must be addressed to optimize quality of life. Burn care providers are, therefore, faced with a plethora of challenges including acute and critical care management, long-term care and rehabilitation. The aim of this Primer is not only to give an overview and update about burn care, but also to raise awareness of the ongoing challenges and stigmata associated with burn injuries.

Characteristics and outcome of burned children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit

Objective

To analyze the characteristics and outcomes of children hospitalized for burns in a pediatric trauma intensive care unit for burn patients.

Methods

An observational study was conducted through the retrospective analysis of children (< 16 years) admitted to the pediatric trauma intensive care unit for burn victims between January 2013 and December 2015. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed including the causal agent, burned body surface, presence of inhalation injury, length of hospital stay and mortality.

Results

The study analyzed a sum of 140 patients; 61.8% were male, with a median age of 24 months and an overall mortality of 5%. The main cause of burns was scalding (51.4%), followed by accidents involving fire (38.6%) and electric shock (6.4%). Mechanical ventilation was used in 20.7% of the cases. Associated inhalation injury presented a relative risk of 6.1 (3.5 - 10.7) of needing ventilatory support and a relative risk of mortality of 14.1 (2.9 - 68.3) compared to patients without this associated injury. A significant connection was found between burned body surface and mortality (p < 0.002), reaching 80% in patients with a burned area greater than 50%. Patients who died had a significantly higher Tobiasen Abbreviated Burn Severity Index than survivors (9.6 ± 2.2 versus 4.4 ± 1.1; p < 0.001). A Tobiasen Abbreviated Burn Severity Index ≥ 7 represented a relative risk of death of 68.4 (95%CI 9.1 - 513.5).

Conclusion

Scalding burns are quite frequent and are associated with high morbidity. Mortality is associated with the amount of burned body surface and the presence of inhalation injury. Special emphasis should be given to accidents involving fire, reinforcing proper diagnosis and treatment of inhalation injury.