Management of facial burns

Management of Acute Wounds - Expert Panel Consensus Statement

SIGNIFICANCE

The Wound Healing Foundation recognized the need for consensus-based unbiased recommendations for the treatment of wounds. As a first step, a consensus on the treatment of chronic wounds was developed and published in 2022.(1) The current publication on acute wounds represents the second step in this process. Acute wounds may result from any number of conditions, including burns, military and combat operations, and trauma to specific areas of the body. The management of acute wounds requires timely and evidence-driven intervention to achieve optimal clinical outcomes. This consensus statement provides the clinician with the necessary foundational approaches to the causes, diagnosis and therapeutic management of acute wounds. Presented in a structured format, this is a useful guide for clinicians and learners in all patient care settings.

RECENT ADVANCES

Recent advances in the management of acute wounds have centered on stabilization and treatment in the military and combat environment, Specifically advancements in hemostasis, resuscitation, and the mitigation of infection risk through timely initiation of antibiotics and avoidance of high pressure irrigation in contaminated soft tissue injury. .

CRITICAL ISSUES

Critical issues include infection control, pain management and the unique considerations for the management of acute wounds in pediatric patients.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Future directions include new approaches to preventing the progression and conversion of burns through the use of the microcapillary gel, a topical gel embedded with the anti-inflammatory drug infliximab.(38) Additionally, the use of three-dimensional bioprinting and photo-modulation for skin reconstruction following burns is a promising area for continued discovery.

Evaluating effects of burn injury characteristics on quality of life in pediatric burn patients and caregivers

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to evaluate pediatric burn patients' and caregivers' quality of life (QoL), while identifying clinical characteristics correlated with psychological stress.

METHODS

Pediatric burn patients at an ABA-verified institution from November 2019-January 2021 were included. Caregivers of patients 0-4 years completed the Infant's Dermatology QoL Index (IDQOL). Patients> 4-16 years completed the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI). The Short Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Rating Interview (SPRINT) measured caregivers' stress. Generalized linear mixed models evaluated associations between assessment scores and burn characteristics.

RESULTS

Overall, 27.3% (39/143) of IDQOL and 53.1.% (41/96) of CDLQI scores indicated that patients' burns caused moderate to extremely large effects on QoL. In caregivers, 4.5% (7/159) scored> 14 on the SPRINT, warranting further PTSD evaluation. For the IDQOL, each additional 1% TBSA burn was associated with a 2.75-point increase (p = 0.05), and patients sustaining 2nd degree deep partial thickness burns scored an average of 3.3 points higher compared to 2nd degree superficial partial thickness burns (P < 0.01). CLDQI and SPRINT scores demonstrated a similar pattern.

CONCLUSIONS

QoL is impacted in a substantial proportion of pediatric burn patients. Larger TBSA and increased burn depths cause significantly more psychological stress in children, and caregivers may require more extensive psychological evaluation.

Outcome of Facial Burn Injuries Treated by a Nanofibrous Temporary Epidermal Layer

BACKGROUND

The face is commonly affected in thermal injuries, with a demand for proper recognition and the correct choice of treatment to guarantee optimal aesthetic and functional outcomes. It is highly vascularized and often heals conservatively, highlighting the particular relevance of conservative treatment modalities, many of which require daily re-applications or dressing changes, which can be painful and tedious for both the patient and the healthcare providers. Motivated by encouraging results of a novel temporary nanofibrous epidermal layer, we herein present a case series of this technology in a case series of patients suffering from facial burns and treated in our Burn Center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with superficial partial-thickness facial burns and mixed pattern burns, which were treated with SpinCare™, an electrospun nanofibrous temporary epidermal layer, between 2019 and 2021, at our institution were analyzed retrospectively. The Manchester scar scale (MSS) and numeric rating scale (NRS) were used for scar, pain, and outcome evaluation at different time points by five independent board-certified plastic surgeons with profound experience in burn surgery.

RESULTS

Ten patients (m = 9; f = 1) were treated and evaluated retrospectively. The mean age was 38.8 ± years (SD ± 17.85). The mean healing time was 6.4 days (SD ± 1.56). The mean follow-up was 16.4 months (SD ± 11.33). The mean MSS score was 5.06 (SD ± 1.31), and the mean NRS Score for pain was significantly reduced from initially 7 to 0.875 upon application (mean (pre-application) 7 ± 0.7 and (application) 0.875 ± 1.26; p ≤ 0.0001). Patients reported a NRS score of 10 in terms of functional and cosmetic outcomes at their final follow-up appointment. No adverse effects were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The application of a nanofibrous temporary epidermal layer such as SpinCare™ represents a relatively easy-to-use, well-tolerated, and effective alternative for the treatment of partial-thickness facial burns.

Reconstruction of Bilateral Upper and Lower Eyelid Ectropion Caused by a Liquid Unblocker Chemical Burn

Liquid drain unblockers, although meant to be used by professionals with protective equipment, are sometimes used in the household without any precautions. This could lead to severe chemical burns, as in the case we present with severe eyelid ectropion. This study aims to stress the need for preventive measures regarding the use of chemicals and for close observation and timely surgical intervention in chemical burn patients to prevent and limit disfigurement. A 45-year-old woman was injured while using an unblocker (90% sulfuric acid) at home. Accidentally, a quantity of the liquid was spilled on her face. She was initially examined in ophthalmology emergencies because of the obvious ocular involvement, and the cutaneous component was underestimated. On the third post-burn day, she was referred as an outpatient to our clinic, and because of the soft consistency and patchy pattern of the burn, she was asked to revisit in a week. Unfortunately, she reappeared two months post-burn with severe ectropion of all four eyelids and a high risk of corneal abrasion, desiccation, and further damage to the already injured left eye as well as the right eye. She underwent three operations in six months and a fourth 15 months after the accident, with the release of the scarred eyelids with full-thickness skin grafts, Z-plasties, and V-Y plasties. After four operations and sessions of triamcinolone acetonide intralesional injection, the patient has a satisfactory eyelid position and function with adequate closure and scar maturation. Domestic use of strong industrial chemicals is dangerous, and public education for prevention is urgently needed. On the other hand, it is mandatory to follow up very closely with chemical burn patients to prevent severe sequelae, especially in the delicate and contraction-prone periocular and perioral areas. Reconstruction, in these cases, is a complex task. Often, several surgeries are needed to restore acceptable function and appearance. Burn disfigurement and self-stigma will follow the patients to some extent throughout their lives.

Management of Pediatric Facial Burns with Zinc-Hyaluronan Gel

Zinc-hyaluronan-containing burn dressings have been associated with enhanced reepithelialization and low infection rates, although their effectiveness has not yet been investigated in pediatric facial thermal injuries. This single-arm, retrospective cohort study assessed the characteristics of 23 children (≤17-year-old) with facial superficial partial-thickness burns and the wound closure capabilities of the applied zinc-hyaluronan gel. Patients were admitted consecutively to the Pediatric Surgery Division in Pécs, Hungary, between 1 January 2016 and 15 October 2021. The mean age of the children was 6.2 years; 30.4% of them were younger than 1 year. An average of 3% total body surface was injured in the facial region and 47.8% of the patients had other areas damaged as well, most frequently the left upper limb (30.4%). The mean time until complete reepithelialization was 7.9 days and the children spent 2 days in the hospital. Wound cultures revealed normal bacterial growth in all cases and follow-up examinations found no hypertrophic scarring. In conclusion, pediatric facial superficial partial-thickness burns are prevalent during infancy and coincide with left upper limb injuries. Rapid wound closure and low complication rates are accountable for the moderate amount of hospitalization. These benefits, along with the gel’s ease of applicability and spontaneous separation, are linked to child-friendly burn care.

Face Burns: A 4-Year Experience

Burns on the face pose unique management challenges because they are in a place that is constantly visible, so scars are hard to hide. The goal of this study was to review our experience of adult patients who had face burns. We performed a retrospective review of adult patients (≥18 years old) who were admitted to a regional burn center from July 2015 to June 2019 with face burns. Sex, age, ethnicity, burn etiology, burn size, and discharge status were collected from electronic medical records of the patients who met study criteria. Descriptive statistics, Student's t-tests, and chi-square tests were performed in Stata/SE 16.1. Significance was defined as a P-value < .05. In 4 years, 595/1705 patients (~35% of admissions) were admitted with face burns. The mean age was 44.9 ± 17.0 (mean ± SD) years, with the majority being men (475, 80%). The mean burn size was 19.8 ± 20.9% TBSA with 10.1 ± 19.8% TBSA being third degree. The mean head burn size for any face burn was 2.8 ± 1.8% TBSA. The majority of burns were due to flames (478, 80%) and of those 122 (21%) were from accelerant use and 43 (7%) resulted from propane or butane use. Scalds caused 53 (9%), electric 25 (4%), hot tar 5 (1%), and chemical 5 (1%). Overall, 208 (35%) patients had grafting of some portion of their body, but only 31 patients (5.2%) had face grafting. The mean age of those with face grafting compared with patients who did not need grafting was 45.9 ± 13.8 and 44.9 ± 17.2 years, respectively. Patients who needed grafting had a mean third-degree burn size of 31.7 ± 25.4% TBSA and a mean head (including face) burn size of 4.7 ± 2.0% TBSA, whereas patients who did not need grafting had a mean third-degree burn size of 8.9 ± 18.7% TBSA and a mean head burn size of 2.7 ± 1.8% head TBSA. Patients requiring face grafts had longer lengths of stay, intensive unit stays, ventilator days, and mortality than those whose face burns healed spontaneously. Overall, head burns in adults were common within the 4-year time span we studied, but only a small fraction (5%) had face grafts. The patients who needed grafting for their head burns had significantly larger total body and face burns and had a 2.4-fold higher mortality rate compared to patients who did not need grafting. Most face burns were caused by flame, especially the use of accelerants or flammable gases. Prevention efforts should focus on avoiding the use of accelerants and being careful with flammable gases.

Management of facial burns: an update

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article reviews literature on the recent progress made on management of facial burns. The discussion focuses on those aspects of the management in which recent studies brought new ideas, and reviews some that failed to change practices in the management of facial burns.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent innovations and models have been proposed in an attempt to reduce the incidence of unnecessary intubations in patients with burns to the face and with suspected inhalational injury. However, the decision to secure the airway is still a challenging one. A new escharotomy method based on facial subunits principles has been described, while the practice of early tangential excision is still debated in the literature. Tarsorrhaphy without occluding the eyes has also been described in the management of peri-oral burns. Self-retaining and expandable stents for the nose have also been demonstrated to be effective in preventing nasal stenosis. 3D printed face masks have been more recently developed to improve the current wound-care methods used in facial scar management.

SUMMARY

This article highlights recent developments in the management of facial burns in areas such as acute facial burn care, subsequent wound care and facial scar management. It highlights areas wherein progress has been made, as well as the need for further studies in certain areas.