Malnutrition is known to contribute to wound development and impair wound healing through reduction in the availability of nutrients to maintain optimal cell maintenance and repair.
This review ...examines studies from the last decade identified via a search of PubMed and systematic review databases to identify evidence for the effectiveness of nutritional interventions in wound healing. Studies reported identified via the search included 61 primary studies and six systematic reviews.
The Matching Assessment using Photographs with Scars assessment tool, published in 2005, enables accurate relocation and reassessment of scars. While used in Australia, uptake has been hampered by ...its paper manual format. With electronic records and increasing use of smart devices in health, here we report the development of the Matching Assessment using Photographs with Scars manual into a mobile application format: ClinMAPSTM Pro. At the time of development, no other digital scar assessment applications were available. For clinical validation, the digitized Matching Assessment using Photographs with Scars module within ClinMAPSTM Pro was used for intra‐ and inter‐rater reliability testing. Convenience sampling was utilized to recruit burns patients representing 44 scars, based on predetermined power calculations. Three therapists, one experienced and two novice, acted as the assessors. Each therapist assessed preselected scars with the digitized Matching Assessment using Photographs with Scars. Re‐assessment of the same scar sites occurred 3 to 7 days later. Inter‐rater reliability testing scores of the new electronic assessment application showed fair to moderate agreement (combined Fleiss Kappa = 0.38‐0.49, P < .0001). Intra‐rater reliability scores between initial and repeat measures showed moderate to almost perfect agreement (Cohen's Kappa = 0.43‐0.90, P < .0001). It was noted that for an experienced rater, intra‐rater agreement demonstrated substantial to almost perfect agreement. Intraclass correlation coefficients calculated to allow for comparison between other published scar assessment tools demonstrated excellent reliability for all scar assessment parameters for both intra‐ (=0.76‐0.91) and inter‐ (=0.76‐0.98) reliability. Notably, reliability testing results confirm its intra‐ and inter‐rater reliability. Our findings validate this novel concept for digitization of the previously paper‐based scar assessment manual and prove that the Matching Assessment using Photographs with Scars within the ClinMAPSTM Pro application is now readily available for clinicians and researchers internationally.
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.
Trace elements have an important physiological role after severe burn injury with patients routinely receiving supplementation. Although commonly prescribed after burn injury, variation exists among ...supplement composition, frequency, and the dosage administered. This review aims to assess the effectiveness of trace element supplementation on clinically meaningful outcomes in patients who have sustained a severe burn injury. Supplementation of selenium, copper and zinc, either alone or combined, compared with placebo or standard treatment were eligible for inclusion. Predetermined primary outcome measures were mortality, length of stay, rate of wound healing, and complications. A comprehensive search strategy was undertaken. Methodological quality of eligible studies was appraised and relevant data extracted for meta-analysis. Eight studies met eligibility criteria for the review; four randomized controlled trials and four nonrandomized experimental trials, including a total of 398 participants with an age range of 6 to 67 years. Parenteral supplementation of combined trace elements was associated with a significant decrease in infectious episodes (weighted mean difference: -1.25 episodes, 95% confidence intervals: -1.70, -0.80; P < .00001). The results of this review indicate that the use of parentally administered combined trace elements after burn injury confer positive effects in decreasing infectious complications. Combined parenteral trace element supplementation and combined oral and parenteral zinc supplementation have potentially clinically significant findings on reducing length of stay. Oral zinc supplementation shows possible beneficial effects on mortality. Definitive studies are required to accurately define optimal trace element supplementation regimens, dosages, and routes after burn injury.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Burn Patients SCHUMANN, Adelaide D; PAXTON, Rebecca L; SOLANKI, Nicholas S ...
Journal of burn care & research,
11/2012, Letnik:
33, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Vitamin D deficiency has been reported in pediatric burn patients; however, no formal studies have been conducted in adult burn populations. The available literature on vitamin D status in burn ...patients has been reviewed. A literature search was conducted using Medline™, the Cochrane central register of controlled trials, and EMBASE to identify any trials of vitamin D deficiency in burn patients. Six published studies regarding vitamin D status in burn patients were found; however, five of these were in pediatric populations and several did not assess vitamin D levels as a major endpoint. Vitamin D deficiency has been demonstrated to result in itching, muscle weakness, and neuropathy, all of which are common postburn sequelae. The major source of vitamin D is synthesis in the skin with a small amount being absorbed through dietary intake. Population groups are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency if they have inadequate exposure to UV light or reduced biosynthetic capability due to skin damage. Burn patients fall into both risk groups and also suffer common complaints that overlap with those reported by patients with vitamin D deficiency. Further research in adult burn patients is needed to determine the prevalence of deficiency in this population and whether vitamin D deficiency might influence postburn injury symptoms reported by patients.
Abstract
Appropriate multidisciplinary allied health assessment during the early stages of admission following burn injury positively influences recovery and quality of life. Variation in allied ...health care may affect patient outcomes. We aimed to explore adherence in providing early allied health assessments in accordance with local parameters. Associations between the number of assessments and hospital length of stay (LOS) were also explored. The Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand was queried for adult (≥ 16 years) burn injured patients admitted to a specialist burn service for > 48 hours between July 2016 and June 2020. Quality indicator data relating to allied health assessment processes were examined; patients were grouped according to the number of assessments they received within 48 hours of admission. Of the 5789 patients included in the study, 5598 (97%) received at least one allied health assessment within 48 hours of admission and 3976 (69%) received all three assessments. A greater proportion of patients who received no assessments were admitted on a Saturday. Patients receiving three assessments had more severe injuries compared to their counterparts who received fewer assessments. Hospital LOS was not associated with the number of allied health assessments during an acute admission following burn injury after accounting for confounding factors, particularly TBSA. Multidisciplinary allied health teams provide routine burn care to Australian and New Zealand burns patients at a consistent level. Further, this study provides evidence that allied health input is prioritized towards patients with increasing severity of burn injury, playing an integral role in early rehabilitation.
Volatile substance misuse, particularly the inhalation of hydrocarbons, is a growing issue globally. Consequences of volatile substance misuse, both acute and chronic cause cardiovascular, ...respiratory, renal, metabolic, and central nervous system damage. Whilst the effects of hydrocarbon abuse have been reported, the combination of intoxication with hydrocarbon and burns sustained has not yet been presented. A retrospective case series of patients who presented in the last 5 years to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with hydrocarbon-related burns in the context of illicit use was undertaken. Our aims are to present to the wider scientific community the high morbidity and mortality of hydrocarbon burn injuries and why this tertiary Burns Unit feel it most appropriate to medically stabilize these patients prior to definitive surgery for their burn. All patients that presented with acute hydrocarbon intoxication and sustained concomitant burns had significant psychiatric disorder and substance abuse history and three of five had either not eaten in several days resulting in acute malnourishment, refeeding syndrome or had evidence of chronic malnourishment with deranged electrolytes and hypoalbuminemia. Their definitive burns surgery was delayed where appropriate in order to facilitate medical stabilization as they were too high risk of cardiac membrane instability, electrolyte derangement, and/or respiratory compromise to undergo safe general anesthetic and burns debridement. We propose a multidisciplinary team approach, utilizing not only our Burns Unit care model of physiotherapists, psychologists, social work, and burns trained nurses and surgeons but also Intensive Care, Toxicology, Addiction medicine and General Medical physicians in the management of these patients.
Highlights • Out of 53 therapists there are 29 different moisturisers recommended. • Sources of knowledge was mostly patient feedback or the previous therapist. • 3 respondents were able to provide ...evidence for their recommendations. • There is a paucity of evidence currently to support optimal moisturiser choice. • The ideal moisturiser should be conducive to scar maturation.
•Understanding capabilities and limitations of a new dermal substitute takes time.•Range of motion and mobilisation can safely occur early during the integration phase.•Scar assessment indicated good ...scar cosmetic outcomes.•Good return to function in the joints assessed.•Therapy guidelines have been developed based on experiences to date.
The purpose of this study was to investigate and develop range of motion (ROM) and mobilisation guidelines in adult patients where a newly developed synthetic dermal substitute was applied in our adult burn centre.
A retrospective case note audit was conducted on the first 20 acute burn injured patients who had a synthetic dermal substitute applied. Data collected included days to commencement of ROM, days to clearance for mobilisation, and joint ROM achieved after dermal substitute application (prior to delamination) and after split skin grafting (SSG) for the elbow, knee and shoulder joints. Scar assessments were completed at 12 months after injury using two scar assessment scales.
Clearance to mobilise occurred at mean 10.4 and 4.9 days after dermal substitute and after skin graft application to lower limbs respectively. ROM commenced at a mean of 9.9 (upper limbs) and 12.7 (lower limbs) days after dermal substitute application. Following skin grafting, ROM commenced at a mean of 6.6 and 6.5 days for upper limbs and lower limbs respectively. Prior to dermal substitute delamination mean flexion at the knee (86.3°), elbow (114.0°) and shoulder (143.4°) was achieved. Mean ROM continued to improve after grafting with knee (133.2°), elbow (126.1°) and shoulder (151.0°) flexion approaching normal ROM in most cases. Mean extension of the elbow (-4.6°) was maintained close to normal levels after skin grafting. There were no recorded instances of knee extension contracture. Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale and Matching Assessment of Photographs of Scars scores indicated good cosmetic outcomes with relatively low levels of itch and minimal pain reported at 12 months after injury.
A steep learning curve was encountered in providing therapy treatment for patients managed with this relatively new synthetic dermal substitute. Trends indicated that as experience with this new dermal substitute grew, patients progressed toward active therapy earlier. A guideline for therapy treatment has been developed but will continue to be evaluated and adjusted when required.
The objective of this article is to investigate adherence to reporting standards and methodological quality in systematic reviews on burns care published in peer-reviewed journals to determine their ...utility for guiding evidence-based burns care. PubMed, Embase, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports were searched from 2009. Any systematic review on any question on therapeutic interventions in burns care was eligible for inclusion. Critical appraisal and data extraction were performed using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist by two independent reviewers. The overall quality of the 44 included burns care systematic reviews was low, with an average methodological quality of 55% and an average compliance with reporting guidelines of 70%. Correlation analysis showed that adherence to reporting guidelines has been relatively stable, but methodological quality has deteriorated (r = -.32, P < .05). Cochrane reviews had lower citation rates than reviews published in other journals, whereas reviews that included meta-analyses had more citations. Quality did not have a significant effect on citation rate. Health professionals working in burns should be able to expect that systematic reviews published in their field are of a high standard. Unfortunately, this is not the case. To address this problem, established guidelines on the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews should be adhered to by researchers and editors.
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