Resuscitation of burn victims with high-dose ascorbic acid (vitamin C VC) was reported in Japan in the year 2000. Benefits of VC include reduction in fluid requirements, resulting in less tissue ...edema and body weight gain. In turn, these patients suffer less respiratory impairment and reduced requirement for mechanical ventilation. Despite these results, few burn centers resuscitate patients with VC in fear that it may increase the risk of renal failure. A retrospective review of 40 patients with greater than 20% TBSA between 2007 and 2009 was performed. Patients were divided into two groups: one received only lactated Ringer's (LR) solution and another received LR solution plus 66 mg/kg/hr VC. Both groups were resuscitated with the Parkland formula to maintain stable hemodynamics and adequate urine output (>0.5 ml/kg/hr). Patients with >10-hour delay in transfer to the burn center were excluded. Data collected included age, gender, weight, %TBSA, fluid administered in the first 24 hours, urine output in the first 24 hours, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score. PaO2 in millimeters mercury:%FIO2 ratio and positive end-expiratory pressure were measured at 12-hour intervals, and hematocrit was measured at 6-hour intervals. Comorbidities, mortality, pneumonia, fasciotomies, and renal failure were also noted. After 7 patients were excluded, 17 patients were included in the VC group and 16 in the LR group. VC and LR were matched for age (42 ± 16 years vs 50 ± 20 years, P = .2), burn size (45 ± 21%TBSA vs 39 ± 15%TBSA, P = .45), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (17 ± 7 vs 18 ± 8, P = .8), and gender. Fluid requirements in the first 24 hours were 5.3 ± 1 ml/kg/%TBSA for VC and 7.1 ± 1 ml/kg/%TBSA for LR (P < .05). Urine output was 1.5 ± 0.4 ml/kg/hr for VC and 1 ± 0.5 ml/kg/hr for LR (P < .05). Vasopressors were needed in four VC patients and nine LR patients (P = .07). VC patients required vasopressors to maintain mean arterial pressure for a mean of 6 hours, but LR needed vasopressors for 11 hours (P = .2). No significant differences in PaO2 in millimeters mercury:%FIO2 ratio, positive end-expiratory pressure, frequency of pneumonia, renal failure, or inhalation injury were found. VC group had four mortalities, and LR group had three mortalities (P = 1). VC is associated with a decrease in fluid requirements and an increase in urine output during resuscitation after thermal injury. Although this study did not find a difference in outcomes with VC administration, it demonstrates that VC can be safely used without an increased risk of renal failure. The effects of VC should be further studied in a large-scale, prospective, randomized trial.
The use of high-dose vitamin C (hdVC, 66 mg/kg/hour × 18 hours) infusion is a useful adjunct to reducing fluid requirements during resuscitation of burn shock. Routine point-of-care glucose (POCG) ...analysis has been inaccurately high in observed patients undergoing hdVC. Inaccurate POCG could potentially lead to iatrogenic hypoglycemia if the fictitious hyperglycemia is treated with insulin. This study is a retrospective analysis of plasma glucose measurements from a central laboratory (LG) compared with POCG during and 24 hours after hdVC infusion. Records of adult patients receiving hdVC infusions during burn resuscitation over 1 year were reviewed. Charts selected for analysis included those with glucose measurements using POCG and LG that were taken simultaneously, during hdVC infusion, and 24 hours after completion. All specimens were drawn from arterial lines. POCG was measured with Accu-Chek Inform (Roche, Indianapolis, IN) and LG was measured by Siemens Dimension Vista 500 (Siemens, Deerfield, IL) using biochromic analysis. Nonparametric statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon's matched pairs test and Spearman correlation with significance at P < .05. Of 18 adult patients undergoing burn resuscitation with hdVC infusion, 5 were chosen for analysis (%TBSA 40 ± 15; age 51 ± 18). All data were pooled with 11 comparisons both during and after hdVC. The mean POCG (225 ± 71) was significantly higher than mean LG (138 ± 41) on hdVC (P = .002). There was no difference between POCG (138 ± 30) and LG (128 ± 23) after hdVC was finished (P = .09). There was a negative correlation between POCG and LG on hdVC (-0.64, P = .04) and a positive correlation off hdVC (0.89, P = .0005). POCG analysis during hdVC infusion is significantly higher than laboratory glucose measurements. Once the hdVC infusion is complete, POCG and laboratory glucose measurements are not statistically different. Treating erroneously high glucose based on POC testing is potentially dangerous and could lead to hypoglycemia and seizures.
Approximately 100 firefighters suffer fatal injuries annually and tens of thousands receive nonfatal injuries. Many of these injuries require medical attention and restricted activity but may be ...preventable. This study was designed to elucidate etiology, circumstances, and patterns of firefighter burn injury so that further prevention strategies can be designed. In particular, modification of protective equipment, or turnout gear, is one potential strategy to prevent burn injury. An Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review was conducted with records of firefighters treated for burn injury from 2005 to 2009. Data collected included age, gender, TBSA, burn depth, anatomic location, total hospital days per patient, etiology, and circumstances of injury. Circumstances of injury were stratified into the following categories: removal/dislodging of equipment, failure of equipment to protect, training errors, and when excessive external temperatures caused patient sweat to boil under the gear. Over the 4-year period, 20 firefighters were treated for burn injury. Mean age was 38.9 ± 8.9 years and 19 of 20 patients were male. Mean burn size was 1.1 ± 2.7% TBSA. Eighteen patients suffered second-degree burns, while two patients suffered first-degree burns. Mean length of hospitalization was 2.45 days. Scald burns were responsible for injury to 13 firefighters (65%). Flame burns caused injury to four patients (20%). Only three patients received contact burns (15%). The face was the site most commonly burned, representing 29% of injuries. The hand/wrist and ears were the next largest groups, with 23 and 16% of the injuries, respectively. Other areas burned included the neck (10%), arm (6.5%), leg (6.5%), knees (3%), shoulders (3%), and head (3%). Finally, the circumstance of injury was evaluated for each patient. Misuse and noncontiguous areas of protective equipment accounted for 14 of the 20 injuries (70%). These burns were caused when hot steam/liquid entered the gear via gaps in the sleeve or face mask. Three patients (15%) received injury due to removal/dislodging of their safety equipment, two patients (10%) suffered their injuries during training exercises when they were not wearing their safety equipment, and the final patient (5%) received burns due to sweat evaporation. Firefighter burn injuries occur to predictable anatomic sites with common injury patterns. Modification and optimization of gear to eliminate gaps that allow steam/hot liquid entry may decrease burn injury. Improving education regarding the use of protective equipment may also be beneficial.
Abstract Introduction The National Burn Repository (NBR) currently only contains inpatient data from participating United States burn centres. However, the majority of the patients treated in burn ...centres are managed as outpatients. Unfortunately, this significant demographic is not represented in the NBR annual report. The purpose of this study is to compare the difference in aetiology and demographics between inpatient and outpatient burn patients. In addition, the workload demands for data entry of inpatient and outpatient records in the burn registry will be compared. Methods Outpatient and inpatient burn data at an American Burn Association-Verified Burn Center were prospectively collected during fiscal year 2008. Data collected included age, burn size and aetiology of burn. Aetiology was also stratified by age group. Inpatient data were compared with outpatient data with Fisher's exact test. The amount of time taken to enter inpatients’ and outpatients’ data parameters in the TRACS v5.0 database was also recorded. Results Data were collected for 241 inpatients and for 543 outpatients during fiscal year 2008. No significant differences in gender or race were found between the two groups. When comparing demographics, outpatients tended to be younger (26 ± 19 years vs. 32 ± 22 years, p = 0.01) with a smaller burn size (2.5 ± 7% vs. 6.8 ± 12%, p < 0.001) and a lower frequency of full-thickness burns (17% vs. 41%, p < 0.001). Of the patients managed as an outpatient, a total 29.7% were eventually admitted to the hospital. Just over half of those (16.7%) initially managed in the outpatient setting were admitted for a planned surgical procedure. The other 13% were admitted for pain control and wound-care issues. Injury was more likely to be caused by flame in inpatients ( p < 0.001). Scald injuries were more common in the outpatient setting (34% vs. 27%), but this difference did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.079). Outpatients were more likely to be injured with a contact burn ( p < 0.0001). Outpatient injury was more likely to be work-related than inpatient injury ( p = 0.0497), but less likely to be related to recreational activity ( p = 0.006) or arson/abuse/assault ( p = 0.0158). An experienced TRACSv5.0 user required 11 ± 0.6 min to enter an inpatient record and 6 ± 0.6 min to enter an outpatient record in the system ( p = 0.002). Conclusions Inpatient injury is more likely to be caused by flame, whereas outpatient injury is more likely to be caused by scald and contact burns. Work-related burn is more likely to be treated in the outpatient setting. Outpatient burn data also take less time to enter. Since significant differences in aetiology exist, outpatient data should be reported separately from inpatient data in order to understand the full spectrum of burn aetiology. The NBR and other registries should be modified to track outpatient burn data and outcomes.
Dermal templates are well established in the treatment of burn wounds and acute nonburn wounds. However, the literature regarding their use for reconstruction of chronic, nonhealing wounds is ...limited. This study describes a series of patients with chronic wounds reconstructed with a commercially available bilayer, acellular dermal replacement (ADR) containing a collagen-glycosaminoglycan dermal template and a silicone outer layer. A retrospective review was performed of 10 patients treated for chronic wounds with ADR and negative pressure dressing followed by split-thickness skin graft between July 2006 and January 2009. Data collected included age, gender, comorbidities, medications, wound type or location, wound size, the number of applications of ADR, the amount of ADR applied (in square centimeter), the amount of time between ADR placement and grafting, complications, need for reoperation, and percentage of graft take after 5 and 14 days. The mean age of study subjects was 44 years. All patients in the study had comorbidities that interfere with wound healing and were treated for lower extremity wounds (four to legs, five to ankles, and one to foot). The wounds had a variety of causative factors including venostasis ulcers (6, 60%), trauma in diabetic patients (2, 20%), brown recluse bite (1, 10%), and a wound caused from purpura fulminans (1, 10%). The average wound size and amount of ADR applied was 162±182 cm². Each patient required only one application of ADR. The average time between ADR placement and skin grafting was 36.5 days. The mean percentage of graft take at 5 days was 89.55%, 14 days was 90%, and 21 days was 87.3%. Only two patients required regrafting, and one of these grafts was lost because of patient noncompliance. ADR can be used successfully in the treatment of chronic wounds. ADR provides direct wound coverage and can conform to a variety of anatomical sites. This study demonstrates that the use of ADR in treating chronic wounds results in high rates of skin graft take. Favorable results were obtained despite the majority of patients having comorbidities that would normally interfere with wound healing.
Severe burn injury has been shown to result in hypophosphatemia. Hypophosphatemia can cause cardiac, hematologic, immunologic, and neuromuscular dysfunction. This study compares serum phosphate ...levels and outcomes in patients who were administered a continuous, preemptive phosphate repletion protocol vs those who only received phosphate supplementation after they developed hypophosphatemia. Records of patients with greater than 19% TBSA burn admitted to the intensive care unit from 2006 to 2010 were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups: historical controls who received responsive repletion when serum phosphate levels were less than 2.5 mg/dl (2006-2008) and the experimental group that received 30 mmol intravenous every 6 hours starting at approximately 24 hours after injury as long as serum phosphate levels were less than 4 mg/dl (2008-2010). Patients with chronic kidney disease or acute kidney injury were excluded. Data collected included age, weight, burn size, age, all serum phosphate levels, and total amount of phosphate administered. Differences in groups were compared with Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test. A total of 30 patients were included in the study, 20 in the responsive repletion group and 10 in the continuous repletion group. No significant difference was detected in age, sex, burn size, or full thickness burn size between groups. The continuous group had a statistically lower percentage of hypophosphatemic lab values compared with the responsive group, 13 ± 14% vs 45 ± 21% (P < .0001). No difference was found in percent of observations reflecting hyperphosphatemia (median of 2% in each group, P = .7). Four patients in the continuous group suffered cardiac and/or infectious complications compared with 16 in the responsive group (P = .04). Continuous, pre-emptive repletion of phosphate prevents hypophosphatemia after severe burn injury when compared with responsive repletion in historical controls. The protocol resulted in less hypophosphatemia without increasing the risk of hyperphosphatemia. This study also suggests that continuous repletion may result in fewer complications, but this needs to be confirmed in larger, prospective studies.
