The Global Burden of Burns, Burn Care Management and Outcome

A special issue of European Burn Journal (ISSN 2673-1991).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 9980

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Division of Surgery, Orthopedics and Oncology (KOO), Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Linköping University (LIU), SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: global surgery; global burden of burns; burn care in low resource settings; implementation research; genital mutilation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Burns can lead to drastic consequences of morbidity and mortality. Where preventive strategies have been adopted and adequate care is guaranteed, incidence and outcomes after burns have progressively improved, while in limited resource settings, they have not. Research can contribute to reducing the burden of burns, identifying risk groups, analyzing management and outcomes, promoting systematic data collection.

Dr. Laura Pompermaier
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • burn injury
  • low resource settings
  • low- and middle-income countries
  • burn care capacity
  • traditional medicine
  • delay in care
  • surgery
  • reconstruction
  • contractures
  • socio-economic factors
  • equality
  • burn registry

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 409 KiB  
Article
Assessing Health-Related Quality of Life of Adult Patients with Intermediate Burns: The Added Value of an Itching and Cognition Item for the EQ-5D: A Retrospective Observational Study
by J. Nicolaas Dijkshoorn, Juanita A. Haagsma, Cornelis H. van der Vlies, M. Jenda Hop, Margriet E. van Baar and Inge Spronk
Eur. Burn J. 2022, 3(2), 264-277; https://doi.org/10.3390/ebj3020023 - 30 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1963
Abstract
The EQ-5D is increasingly used to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of adult patients with intermediate burns. However, this generic instrument may lack sensitivity, as important problems for burn patients, such as itching and cognition problems are not included in this [...] Read more.
The EQ-5D is increasingly used to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of adult patients with intermediate burns. However, this generic instrument may lack sensitivity, as important problems for burn patients, such as itching and cognition problems are not included in this instrument. This retrospective observational study investigates the value of adding an itching and cognition item to the EQ-5D-3L. Patients completed the EQ-5D-3L, and the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), including an itching item and an extra cognition item three months postburn. The potential added value of an itching and cognition item was studied by distribution, informativity, convergent validity, dimension dependency, and explanatory analyses. In total, 120 patients were included of whom 65% reported itching and 23% reported cognition problems. Adding an itching item to the EQ-5D improved the discriminatory power and informativity of the EQ-5D-3L, but barely increased the explanatory power (0.4%) and decreased the convergent validity (r = −0.529 vs. r = −0.612). In contrast, adding a cognition item slightly improved the informativity and discriminatory power. Moreover, convergent validity (r = −0.617 vs. r = −0.612) and explanatory power increased (4.0%). In conclusion, adding an itching item to the EQ-5D-3L provides some additional information, however, the added value is small, whereas adding a cognition item improved the measurement properties of the EQ-5D-3L in our sample and should be considered when assessing HRQL in adult patients with intermediate burns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Global Burden of Burns, Burn Care Management and Outcome)
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12 pages, 3007 KiB  
Article
Epidermal Protein C Levels Correspond to Local Injury Severity and Increased Clinical Support in Burn Patients
by Ruilong Zhao, Duo Wang, Thomas Charles Lang, Albert Kim, Aruna Wijewardana, John Vandervord, Rachel McGrath, Gregory Fulcher, Haiyan Lin, Meilang Xue and Christopher John Jackson
Eur. Burn J. 2021, 2(4), 226-237; https://doi.org/10.3390/ebj2040017 - 1 Nov 2021
Viewed by 2442
Abstract
The protein C (PC) system has proven to be a crucial cascade in systemic inflammatory and coagulopathic disorders such as severe sepsis and, more recently, in severe burns. We aimed to conflate our recent systemic findings with further investigations in the local tissue [...] Read more.
The protein C (PC) system has proven to be a crucial cascade in systemic inflammatory and coagulopathic disorders such as severe sepsis and, more recently, in severe burns. We aimed to conflate our recent systemic findings with further investigations in the local tissue effects of a severe burn injury on the expression of PC and its main receptor endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR). Of the 86 patients enrolled in our recent study, 34 consented to biopsies of both normal and burn edge tissue. These were examined histologically and immunostained for PC, EPCR, and CD68. The burn samples expressed lower PC (p = 0.0027) and higher EPCR (p = 0.0253) than the normal samples in a histological severity-dependent manner. There was also a negative association between PC expression and CD68 positive macrophage infiltration (τb = −0.214, p = 0.020), which was expectedly higher in burn edge samples (p < 0.0005). Interestingly, while there were no correlations between tissue and plasma PC or EPCR, local PC expression was also prognostic of our previously established outcome of a patient requiring increased medical support (OR 0.217 (95%CI 0.052 to 0.901), p = 0.035). The results suggest that local PC cascade changes from a burn injury may be a separate process to the systemic effects and that the local levels may provide useful information in addition to the diagnostic and prognostic abilities we previously found in the circulating PC system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Global Burden of Burns, Burn Care Management and Outcome)
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13 pages, 243 KiB  
Article
A Qualitative Analysis of Burn Injury Patient and Caregiver Experiences in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa: Enduring the Transition to a Post-Burn Life
by Camerin A. Rencken, Abigail D. Harrison, Adam R. Aluisio and Nikki Allorto
Eur. Burn J. 2021, 2(3), 75-87; https://doi.org/10.3390/ebj2030007 - 1 Jul 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4107
Abstract
Over 95% of fire-related burns occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), an important and frequently overlooked global health disparity, yet research is limited from LMICs on how survivors and their caregivers recover and successfully return to their pre-burn lives. This study examines [...] Read more.
Over 95% of fire-related burns occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), an important and frequently overlooked global health disparity, yet research is limited from LMICs on how survivors and their caregivers recover and successfully return to their pre-burn lives. This study examines the lived experiences of burn patients and caregivers, the most challenging aspects of their recoveries, and factors that have assisted in recovery. This qualitative study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa at a 900-bed district hospital. Participants (n = 35) included burn patients (n = 13) and caregivers (n = 22) after discharge. In-depth interviews addressed the recovery process after a burn injury. Data were coded using NVivo 12. Analysis revealed three major thematic categories. Coded data were triangulated to analyze caregiver and patient perspectives jointly. The participants’ lived experiences fell into three main categories: (1) psychological impacts of the burn, (2) enduring the transition into daily life, and (3) reflections on difficulties survivors face in returning for aftercare. The most notable discussions regarded stigma, difficulty accepting self-image, loss of relationships, returning to work, and barriers in receiving long-term aftercare at the hospital outpatient clinic. Patients and caregivers face significant adversities integrating into society. This study highlights areas in which burn survivors may benefit from assistance to inform future interventions and international health policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Global Burden of Burns, Burn Care Management and Outcome)
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