Burn Unit admission and management protocol during COVID-19 pandemic.
Burns
; 47(1): 52-57, 2021 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-813497
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The actual epidemic outbreak is the third time in the last two decades in which a coronavirus results in a major global spread with serious consequences in terms of vastity of affected patients, life losses, health system organization efforts and socio-economic implications. Lacking effective therapies and vaccinations, during viral outbreak the major and most incisive mean for viral spread control is spread prevention, especially for the fragile burn-injured patients we are called to care for in Burn Units.METHODS:
We developed an admission and inpatient management protocol to preserve burn patients from SARS-CoV-2 contagion, in order to avoid additional morbidity and mortality in patients with already compromised health conditions. Data from burn-injured patients admitted to our Unit following this new protocol were retrospectively analyzed in order to verify its effectiveness in prevention of viral spread.RESULTS:
From the 8th of March to the 8th of June, we admitted 18 patients in the Burn Unit ICU and semi-ICU and 17 patients in the Burn Ward. Two of them resulted positive to COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab and bronchoalveolar lavage collected immediately on admission, for both the extension of burns and their general clinical conditions implied ICU admission. Moreover, a caregiver of an admitted child resulted positive to the nasopharyngeal swab. No other cases of SARS-CoV-2 positivity have been reported neither between hospitalized patients nor between healthcare workers.CONCLUSION:
The evidence of high ICU admission rate and high mortality in patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 combined with the fragile clinical conditions of burn patients required the development of an admission and hospitalization management protocol.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Burn Units
/
Burns
/
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
/
COVID-19
/
Hospitalization
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
/
Vaccines
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
Burns
Journal subject:
Traumatology
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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