Establishment of a core outcome set for burn care research: development and international consensus

Objective

To develop a core outcome set for international burn research.

Design

Development and international consensus, from April 2017 to November 2019.

Methods

Candidate outcomes were identified from systematic reviews and stakeholder interviews. Through a Delphi survey, international clinicians, researchers, and UK patients prioritised outcomes. Anonymised feedback aimed to achieve consensus. Pre-defined criteria for retaining outcomes were agreed. A consensus meeting with voting was held to finalise the core outcome set.

Results

Data source examination identified 1021 unique outcomes grouped into 88 candidate outcomes. Stakeholders in round 1 of the survey, included 668 health professionals from 77 countries (18% from low or low middle income countries) and 126 UK patients or carers. After round 1, one outcome was discarded, and 13 new outcomes added. After round 2, 69 items were discarded, leaving 31 outcomes for the consensus meeting. Outcome merging and voting, in two rounds, with prespecified thresholds agreed seven core outcomes: death, specified complications, ability to do daily tasks, wound healing, neuropathic pain and itch, psychological wellbeing, and return to school or work.

Conclusions

This core outcome set caters for global burn research, and future trials are recommended to include measures of these outcomes.

Early tracheostomy and active exercise programmes in adult intensive care patients with severe burns

BACKGROUND

Tracheostomy is a strategy often employed in patients requiring prolonged intubation in ICU settings. Evidence suggests that earlier tracheostomy and early active exercise are associated with better patient centered outcomes. Severe burn patients often require prolonged ventilatory support due to their critical condition, complex sedation management and multiple operating room visits. It is still unclear the optimal timing for tracheostomy in this population.

METHODS

We conducted a service evaluation where we compared Early Tracheostomy (≤10 days) with Late Tracheostomy (>10 days) in 41 severely burned patients that required prolonged respiratory support.

RESULTS

Early Tracheostomy cohort was associated with fewer days of mechanical ventilation (16 vs 33, p = 0.001), shorter hospital length of stay (65 vs 88 days, p = 0.018), earlier first day of active exercise (day 8 vs day 25, p < 0.0001) and higher Functional Assessment for Burns scores upon discharge (32 vs 28, p = 0.016).

CONCLUSION

Early tracheostomy in patients with severe burns is associated with earlier active exercise, fewer days of ventilation, shorter length of hospital stay and better physical functional independence upon discharge from hospital.

Relationship between multidisciplinary critical care and burn patients survival: A propensity-matched national cohort analysis

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this study are: firstly, to investigate if admission to specialized burn critical care units leads to better clinical outcomes; secondly, to elucidate if the multidisciplinary critical care contributes to this superior outcome.

METHODS

A multi-centre cohort analysis of a prospectively collected national database of 1759 adult burn patients admitted to 13 critical care units in England and Wales between 2005 and 2011. Units were contacted via telephone to establish frequency and constitution of daily ward rounds. Critical care units were categorized into 3 settings: specialized burns critical care units, generalized critical care units and 'visiting' critical care units. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and propensity dose-response analysis were used to calculate risk adjusted mortality.

RESULTS

Multivariate logistic regression analysis shows that admission to a specialized burn critical care service is independently associated with significant survival benefit compared to generalized critical care unit (adjusted OR for in-hospital death 1.81, [95% CI, 1.24, 2.66]) and 'visiting' critical care services (adjusted OR for in-hospital death 2.24 [95% CI, 1.49, 3.38]). Further analysis using propensity dose-response analysis demonstrates that risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality rate decreased as the dose of multidisciplinary care increased, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1 (specialized burn critical care units), 1.81 (generalized critical care units) and 2.24 ('visiting' critical care units).

CONCLUSIONS

Admission to a specialized burn critical care service is independently associated with significant survival benefit. This is, at least in part, due to care being provided by a fully integrated multidisciplinary team.

Smoke inhalation increases intensive care requirements and morbidity in paediatric burns

Burn survival has improved with advancements in fluid resuscitation, surgical wound management, wound dressings, access to antibiotics and nutritional support for burn patients. Despite these advancements, the presence of smoke inhalation injury in addition to a cutaneous burn still significantly increases morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology of smoke inhalation has been well studied in animal models. Translation of this knowledge into effectiveness of clinical management and correlation with patient outcomes including the paediatric population, is still limited. We retrospectively reviewed our experience of 13 years of paediatric burns admitted to a regional burn's intensive care unit. We compared critical care requirements and patient outcomes between those with cutaneous burns only and those with concurrent smoke inhalation injury. Smoke inhalation increases critical care requirements and mortality in the paediatric burn population. Therefore, early critical care input in the management of these patients is advised.

Burns ITU admissions: length of stay in specific levels of care for adult and paediatric patients

Prediction of total length of stay (LOS) for burns patients based on the total burn surface area (TBSA) is well accepted. Total LOS is a poor measure of resource consumption. Our aim was to determine the LOS in specific levels of care to better inform resource allocation. We performed a retrospective review of LOS in intensive treatment unit (ITU), burns high dependency unit (HDU) and burns low dependency unit (LDU) for all patients requiring ITU admission in a regional burns service from 2003 to 2011. During this period, our unit has admitted 1312 paediatric and 1445 adult patients to our Burns ITU. In both groups, ITU comprised 20% of the total LOS (mean 0.23±0.02 [adult] and 0.22±0.02 [paediatric] days per %burn). In adults, 33% of LOS was in HDU (0.52±0.06 days per %burn) and 48% (0.68±0.06 days per %burn) in LDU, while in children, 15% of LOS was in HDU (0.19±0.03 days per %burn) and 65% in LDU (0.70±0.06 days per %burn). When considering Burns ITU admissions, resource allocation ought to be planned according to expected LOS in specific levels of care rather than total LOS. The largest proportion of stay is in low dependency, likely due to social issues.

Tracheostomy in burns patients revisited

OBJECTIVE

The use of tracheostomy in burns patients has been controversial. A retrospective study was conducted to assess the use, complications and outcome of tracheostomy in ventilated adult burns patients.

METHODS

Data was collected retrospectively regarding the extent of injury in each patient, the indication for tracheostomy, and outcome in terms of length of stay, days of mechanical ventilation, airway and pulmonary complications and survival. Patients were followed until discharge from the unit or death.

RESULTS

Comparing patients who received tracheostomy to those who had translaryngeal intubation showed similar age distribution and no significant difference in the total burn surface area (TBSA). The use of tracheostomy was significantly higher in patients with TBSA >60%. Inhalation injury was significantly higher and mean probability of survival (ABSI), significantly lower in patients receiving tracheostomy. Duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in HDU/ITU and the incidence of pulmonary sepsis were significantly higher in tracheostomy group patients. However, there was no significant difference in mortality between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Burn survivors with TBSA >60% are more likely to undergo repeated surgery and have burns to the head and neck region, therefore increasing the requirement for tracheostomy. Tracheostomy is a safe procedure with minimal perioperative complications. Late complications in this patient group may be related to duration of intubation and mechanical ventilation and the presence of an airway burn. Tracheostomy was associated with a higher prevalence of chest infection. We suspect that the cause of this is multifactorial, possibly due to a higher incidence of inhalation injury, greater burn size and prolonged mechanical ventilation in this group.