Sepsis induced by invasive infection is a challenging problem and the major cause of death after severe burn. With the increasing understanding of sepsis, diagnostic criteria of sepsis were proposed and revised consecutively so that they could be consistent with the clinical practice. Being different from other trauma and critical diseases, diagnostic criteria of sepsis after severe burn were also proposed, and they need further clinical verification. It is believed that comprehensive measures for the treatment of severe sepsis after burn should be advocated. These measures include rapid and effective resuscitation of burn shock, early escharotomy and closure of burn wound, metabolic support, immunoregulation and anti-inflammation, reinforcement of organ support, etc. Although a number of advances have been achieved in the past decades, the mechanism of sepsis need further elucidation, diagnostic criteria of sepsis need further revision, and novel therapeutic measures for burn sepsis should be developed.
Burns ; complications ; Humans ; Sepsis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy

Burns ; complications ; Humans ; Sepsis ; etiology ; prevention & control

Burns ; complications ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; Ischemia ; Shock ; etiology

Burns ; complications ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; therapy ; Humans

Burns ; complications ; therapy ; Fluid Therapy ; Humans

Pediatric burn patients account for more than 1/3 of the inpatients in the same period, and its incidence surpasses that of burn patients in other age groups. However, it brings about much difficulty to treat pediatric burn patients complicated by sepsis, which brings a significantly higher mortality than that of the adult. Moreover, the physiological characteristics, development of organs, drug metabolism, and body response to burn injury in children are obviously different from those of the adult. Therefore, it is clinically important to understand the clinical characteristics of sepsis in pediatric burn patients in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this ailment.
Burns ; complications ; Child ; Humans ; Sepsis ; diagnosis ; etiology

Burns ; complications ; Humans ; Shock ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Universal Precautions

The aim of fluid resuscitation is to restore tissue perfusion, ameliorate cellular injury, increase tissue perfusion and oxygenation, and improve end-organ functions. Many researches in the field of fluid resuscitation strategy have been made in the last decade, but vigorous debate on optimal method of resuscitation still exists. The hypotensive resuscitation strategy is particularly applicable in patients with uncontrollable hemorrhage, whereas, it is uncertain whether the theory could be used in burn shock management. Resuscitation using both colloid and crystalloid has a better outcome in treating extensive burns and septic shock. Caution should be exercised when using higher concentrations of artificial colloid and lactated Ringer's solution, of which some adverse effects have been observed. Along with the increasing use of novel hemodynamics monitoring in intensive care, parameters including stroke volume variation (SVV), intrathoracic blood volume index (ITBVI), and cardiac index (CI) have been examined as indexes of resuscitation endpoint. However, further studies should be made when applying SVV, ITBVI, and CI in guiding fluid resuscitation in burns.
Burns ; complications ; Fluid Therapy ; methods ; Humans ; Shock ; etiology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the mechanisms of pressure intervention, and to explore the most effective regime for pressure therapy.

METHODSSeveral trials were carried out to study the efficacy and mechanism of pressure therapy, and the development and application efficacy of a smart pressure monitored suit (SPMS) for scar management. (1) Effectiveness of pressure therapy. Forty-five patients suffered burn on extremities were divided into pressure treatment group (n = 36) and control group (n = 9) according to the random number table. Patients in pressure treatment group were prescribed with a regime of wearing custom pressure garment (10% strain rate of pressure + 9 mm thick local pressure padding) more than 23 hours per day, while no active intervention was conducted on patients in control group. Scar conditions were assessed using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), spectrocolorimeter, and tissue palpation ultrasound system. Data were processed with t test or paired t test. (2) Changes in fibroblasts growth rate under pressure. Fibroblasts extracted from scar tissue excised during surgery were loaded with 0, 1.1, 2.8, 5.6 mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) pressure respectively to observe the growth rate of fibroblasts. Data were processed with Fisher LSD post-hoc analysis. (3) Scar thickness upon pressure. The changes in scar thickness upon 0, 5, 15, 25, 35 mm Hg pressure were measured at early stage (1 - 6 months), mid-stage (7 - 12 months), and late stage (more than 12 months) using the high frequency ultrasound imaging system. Data were processed with correlation analysis and regression analysis. (4) Study on application of SPMS. Thirty-six patients with hypertrophic scars once treated with the conventional garment were recruited and they were prescribed with the regime of wearing SPMS for one month. Feedback from all participants in rating conventional garment and SPMS was obtained using self-reported questionnaire. The interface pressure of pressure garment was measured using the Pliance X system. Data were processed with Wilcoxon Sign-Ranks test.

RESULTS(1) Scar thickness, color, and VSS score were significantly improved in pressure treatment group after two-month of pressure intervention. VSS score of the scars in pressure treatment group was lower than that in control group two months after treatment. (2) The growth rate of scar fibroblasts under 5.6 mm Hg pressure was obviously lower than that under 0 mm Hg pressure 2 days after pressure loading (mean deviation = 0.086, P = 0.001). Growth rates of fibroblasts under 2.8 and 5.6 mm Hg pressure were obviously lower than that under 0 mm Hg pressure 3 days after pressure loading (with mean deviation respectively 0.060 and 0.118, P = 0.003, P < 0.001). (3) Scar thickness was significantly reduced upon pressure, and a negative relationship between scar thickness and pressure level was observed (r = -0.96, P < 0.01). (4) The results of SPMS study showed a reduction in both static pressure (19.5%) and dynamic pressure (11.9%) after one month of usage; while there was nearly 50.0% reduction in pressure in conventional garment. SPMS was rated significantly higher than conventional garment in terms of comfort, permeability and clinical efficacy (P ≤ 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSPressure therapy can effectively inhibit the growth of hypertrophic scar, while its exact mechanism needs further study for verification. SPMS is convenient to apply for patients. It takes less time to fabricate and adjust when compared to the conventional garment. Its clinical effect is positive and it may expand its application to other medical conditions.

The prevention and treatment of complications are very important aspects in burn treatment. We should pay attention to the fundamental research, clinical prevention and treatment of complications. We have had good grasp of the subjects by fundamental research such as MODS. We must keep complications in mind when signs, symptoms, monitoring index and laboratory reports are inconsistent to the usual course of the injury, and we must guard against the occurrence of complications in the whole course of burn treatment. Consideration must be given to the treatment of both complications and the primary disease in order to slow down deterioration of patient, and guarantee the curative effect. There are still many unknown areas of burn complications for us to explore and discover.
Burns ; complications ; Multiple Organ Failure ; etiology ; prevention & control