Recovery of functional independence following major burn: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Major burn injury, despite advancements in care and prevention, can have a profound impact on long-term morbidity, affecting quality of life and socioeconomic standing. We aim to explore factors predicting recovery of independence, the expected rate and time in majorly burned patients, and the measures of progress used. METHOD: A systematic search of four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, COCHRANE, CINAHL) was conducted for studies reporting outcomes pertaining to physical ability indicative of independent function in adult (>15 y) cohorts who had suffered a major burn (>20% TBSA) up to 30 years after treatment in a developed specialised burn service. Data extracted included factors affecting rate of and time to achievement of function in five independence domains, as well as the outcome measures used. RESULTS: 21 eligible studies were included comprising 1298 major burns survivors with a combined mean age of 39.6 y and a mean TBSA of 25.8%. The most significant recurring factors impacting recovery of independent function were older age, female gender, burn severity, prolonged ICU and hospital admission, preceding mental health conditions, and post-acute psychological issues. Exercise-based rehabilitation conferred benefits on major burn patients even over 2 years following injury. Discharge to independent living from hospital occurred in 27% to 97% of patients, while reported return to work rates varied from 52% to 80%. Burns Specific Health Scale-Brief, Functional Independence Measure, and Physical Composite Score (SF-36) were the most widely used outcome scoring systems. CONCLUSION: Major burn survivors have protracted recovery with potential for persistent chronic impairments, remaining consistently below baseline levels of function. Non-modifiable factors such as age and gender, and disease characteristics such as burn size with associated physical, physiological and psychosocial sequelae are contributory. Further research is required to explore achievement of specific milestones of major burn and polytrauma critical care patients, while early targeted rehabilitation addressing physical, psychological, and vocational needs has promising potential benefit.

Identifying patient concerns during consultations in tertiary burns services: development of the Adult Burns Patient Concerns Inventory.

OBJECTIVES: Identifying the issues and concerns that matter most to burns survivors can be challenging. For a number of reasons, but mainly relating to patient empowerment, some of the most pressing concerns patients may have during a clinical encounter may not naturally be the focal point of that encounter. The Patient Concerns Inventory (PCI) is a tried and tested concept initially developed in the field of head and neck cancer that empowers patients during a clinical encounter through provision of a list of prompts that allows patients to self-report concerns prior to consultation. The aim of this study was to develop a PCI for adult burns patients. DESIGN: Content for the PCI was generated from three sources: burns health-related quality of life tools, thematic analysis of one-to-one interviews with 12 adult burns patients and 17 multidisciplinary team (MDT) members. Content was refined using a Delphi consensus technique, with patients and staff members, using SurveyMonkey. SETTING: Within outpatient secondary care. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve adult burns patients and MDT members from two regional burns centres. RESULTS: A total of 111 individual items were generated from the three sources. The Delphi process refined the total number of items to 58. The main emergent domains were physical and functional well-being (18 items), psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being (22 items), social care and social well-being (7 items) and treatment-related concerns (11 items). CONCLUSIONS: The Adult Burns Patient Concerns Inventory is a 58-item, holistic prompt list, designed to be used in the outpatient clinic. It offers a new tool in burn care to improve communication between healthcare professionals and patients, empowering them to identify their most pressing concerns and hence deliver a more focused and targeted patient-centred clinical encounter.

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness in the burn population.

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness is an evolving problem in the burn population. As patients are surviving injuries that previously would have been fatal, the focus of treatment is shifting from survival to long-term outcome. The rehabilitation of burn patients can be challenging; however, a certain subgroup of patients have worse outcomes than others. These patients may suffer from intensive care unit-acquired weakness, and their treatment, physiotherapy and expectations need to be adjusted accordingly. This study investigates the condition of intensive care unit-acquired weakness in our burn centre. We conducted a retrospective analysis of all the admissions to our burn centre between 2008 and 2012 and identified 22 patients who suffered from intensive care unit-acquired weakness. These patients were significantly younger with significantly larger burns than those without intensive care unit-acquired weakness. The known risk factors for intensive care unit-acquired weakness are commonplace in the burn population. The recovery of these patients is significantly affected by their weakness.

Comparison of open and closed suction on safety, efficacy and nursing time in a paediatric intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Endotracheal suctioning (ETS) is one of the most common procedures performed in the paediatric intensive care. The two methods of endotracheal suctioning used are known as open and closed suction, but neither method has been shown to be the superior suction method in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). PURPOSE: The primary purpose was to compare open and closed suction methods from a physiological, safety and staff resource perspective. METHODS: All paediatric intensive care patients with an endotracheal tube were included. Between June and September 2011 alternative months were nominated as open or closed suction months. Data were prospectively collected including suction events, staff involved, time taken, use of saline, and change from pre-suction baseline in heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and oxygen saturation (SpO2). Blocked or dislodged ETTs were recorded as adverse events. FINDINGS: Closed suction was performed more often per day (7.2 vs 6.0, p<0.01), used significantly less nursing time (23 vs 38 min, p<0.01) and had equivalent rates of adverse events compared to open suction (5 vs 3, p<0.23). Saline lavage usage was significantly higher in the open suction group (18% vs 40%). Open suction demonstrated a greater reduction in SpO2 and nearly three times the incidence of increases in HR and MAP compared to closed suction. Reductions in MAP or HR were comparable across the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, CS could be performed with less staffing time and number of nurses, less physiological disturbances to our patients and no significant increases in adverse events.

High-flow nasal prong oxygen therapy or nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure for children with moderate-to-severe respiratory distress?*.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the use of high-flow nasal prong oxygen therapy to nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure in a PICU at a tertiary hospital; to understand the safety and effectiveness of high-flow nasal prong therapy; in particular, what proportion of children require escalation of therapy, whether any bedside monitoring data predict stability or need for escalation, and complications of the therapies. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of the first 6 months after the introduction of high-flow nasal prong oxygen therapy at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. Data were collected on all children who were managed with either high-flow nasal prong oxygen therapy or nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure. The mode of respiratory support was determined by the treating medical staff. Data were collected on each patient before the use of high-flow nasal prong or nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure, at 2 hours after starting the therapy, and the children were monitored and data collected until discharge from the ICU. Therapy was considered to be escalated if children on high-flow nasal prong required a more invasive form or higher level of respiratory support, including nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure or mask bilevel positive airway pressure or endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Therapy was considered to be escalated if children on nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure required bilevel positive airway pressure or intubation and mechanical ventilation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: As the first mode of respiratory support, 72 children received high-flow nasal prong therapy and 37 received nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure. Forty-four patients (61%) who received high-flow nasal prong first were weaned to low-flow oxygen or to room air and 21 (29%) required escalation of respiratory support, compared with children on nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure: 21 (57%) weaned successfully and 9 (24%) required escalation. Repeated treatment and crossover were common in this cohort. Throughout the study duration, escalation to a higher level of respiratory support was needed in 26 of 100 high-flow nasal prong treatment episodes (26%) and in 10 of 55 continuous positive airway pressure episodes (18%; p = 0.27). The need for escalation could be predicted by two of failure of normalization of heart rate and respiratory rate, and if the FIO2 did not fall to lower than 0.5, 2 hours after starting high-flow nasal prong therapy. Nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure was required for significantly longer periods than high-flow nasal prong (median 48 and 18 hours, respectively; p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High-flow nasal prong therapy is a safe form of respiratory support for children with moderate-to-severe respiratory distress, across a large range of diagnoses, whose increased work of breathing or hypoxemia is not relieved by standard oxygen therapy. About one quarter of all children will require escalation to another form of respiratory support. This can be predicted by simple bedside observations.

How does the introduction of a pain and sedation management guideline in the paediatric intensive care impact on clinical practice? A comparison of audits pre and post guideline introduction.

UNLABELLED: Despite the use of guidelines to inform practice for pain and sedation management there are few evaluations of the effect of their introduction on clinical practice. Previous evaluations of the protocols and guidelines used to manage pain and sedation in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) report increases in pain and sedation medication administration post guideline introduction. In most reported cases the guideline was accompanied by a treatment algorithm. To our knowledge there is no published data on the effect of introducing a guideline without a treatment algorithm on pain and analgesia administration. PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact the introduction of a pain and sedation guideline will have on clinical practice. METHODS: A 19 bed PICU was audited for one month prior to the introduction of a guideline and one month post. FINDINGS: The proportion of patients receiving oral Clonidine increased (p=0.001) and the administration of Ketamine, particularly via bolus (p=0.003), reduced after the introduction of the guideline. The use of a validated pain tool to assess pain increased by 25% and communication of management plans increased by 25%. The documentation of the use of boluses increased by 36%. CONCLUSION: The introduction of a clinical practice guideline for pain and sedation management in PICU contributes to changes in medication administration, use of validated pain assessments, improved documentation of boluses and communication of management plans.

Interstitial lung disease in the connective tissue diseases.

The connective tissue diseases (CTDs) are inflammatory, immune-mediated disorders in which interstitial lung disease (ILD) is common and clinically important. Interstitial lung disease may be the first manifestation of a CTD in a previously healthy patient. CTD-associated ILD frequently presents with the gradual onset of cough and dyspnea, although rarely may present with fulminant respiratory failure. Infection and drug reaction should always be ruled out. A diagnosis of idiopathic ILD should never be made without a careful search for subtle evidence of underlying CTD. Treatment of CTD-ILD typically includes corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents.

Pulmonary manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis.

Pulmonary disease is a major source of morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis, manifesting most commonly as interstitial lung disease, airways disease, rheumatoid nodules, and pleural effusions. The diagnostic assessment of respiratory abnormalities is complicated by underlying risk for infection, the use of drugs with known pulmonary toxicity, and the frequency of lung disease related to rheumatoid arthritis itself. Evaluation and management of rheumatoid arthritis-associated pulmonary disease frequently necessitates a multidisciplinary approach.