Catheter-related infections in burn patients at the Burn Centre of the University Hospital in Ostrava.

We need central venous catheters (CVCs) in management of critically ill patients with severe burns, either for the administration of fluids or monitoring hemodynamic status. Central venous catheterization may cause different early or late complications, which depend on the physician's erudition, the quality of the catheters and quality of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nursing care for insertion. 272 CVCs were inserted in 114 both adult and pediatric patients from 2004 to 2006 in the ICU of the Burn Centre in Ostrava. The average insertion length of the catheter was 10.2 days, and the average total length of catheterization was 24 days. The total number of catheter-days was 2768. All catheter tips removed were routinely cultured. The most frequent infecting pathogens were coagulase-negative Staphylococci. Peripheral blood cultures were examined in case of fever. Bacterial findings from wounds, sputa and urine were monitored in all patients. No exogenous catheter sepsis according to Maki's criteria occurred in our study group. Endogenous catheter colonization with positive peripheral blood culture and bacteraemia occurred in 4 cases, which means an incidence density of 1.44 endogenous colonizations per 1000 catheter-days. The quality of used catheters and particularly the technique of placement and maintenance of catheters are considered crucial for good results in the ICU of Burn centre in Ostrava.

Our experience in the nutritional support of a burned child treated with integra.

Integra artificial skin was applied on 16% of TBSA after necrectomy on a 7-month-old girl who was scalded on 26% of TBSA by her mother when she was cooking goulash. Nutritional parameters were monitored during the period of 25 days from the 1st necrectomy and application of Integra up to the first autotransplantation--in the period when the other burnt surfaces were almost healed. The average intake of proteins and energy to achieve normal levels of monitored nutritional parameters was lower than that recommended by calculations for similarly burnt children. Our observation is similar to that of King.

Our first experience with Integra.

The advantages of Integra have lead to an increase in its use after extensive burn injuries, in reconstructive surgery after burns, and abroad in general reconstructive surgery as well. At the Burn Center of FNsP Hospital in Ostrava Integra was used for the first time in March 2003. Since then, seven patients have undergone operations, involving the use of Integra in 14 body areas. In four of the patients scars after burns were corrected--on the neck, axilla, two on the trunk, two in the popliteal area and one between the toes. In three patients the artificial skin was applied after necronectomy. In a 7-month-old baby and in a 2-year-old child with burn injuries exceeding 25% of the body surface it was applied twice on the trunk, once on the upper extremity and once on the lower extremity. In an adult female Integra was applied on her neck and axilla after burns to a lesser extent. We have evaluated the scars one year after surgery in two patients. Cosmetic appearance was good in both of them. We have noted good functional result after the reconstruction of axilla. After reconstruction in the neck area and reconstruction of the necrectomy in the neck area and axilla, the functional results were average. The average functional results in both patients are probably due to poor compliance with the immobilization and following rehabilitation program.

Surgical treatment of electrical burns by local flap plastic surgery.

Electrical burns are a serious problem within burn medicine even though they are relatively uncommon. The size of the burn is small, but the wound is often deep, and frequently the patient has systemic complications as well. In the majority of patients with such injuries immediate surgical intervention is essential, consisting of escharotomy, fasciotomy, and debridement of the devitalized tissues, necrectomy of the burn area, and closure of the defect by a direct suture, a dermo-epidermal graft, or local flap. Our report consists of three case studies. The patients underwent local flap plastic surgery after a full thickness soft tissue loss. All three patients healed primarily and did not require further correction of flaps. Final functional and aesthetic results are very good if the local flap is used appropriately.

Burn injury in children.

The authors have analyzed the data files of 580 child patients up to 15 years of age who were hospitalized at the Burn Center of the FNsP Hospital in Ostrava in the years 1999 - 2003. The authors focused on mechanisms of burn injury in relation to the age of a child as well as extent, depth, localization, and local treatment of the injury. The data file was divided to four age groups: up to two years of age, 2 - 5 years of age, 5 - 10 years of age, and 10 - 15 years of age. As regards the mechanisms of injury, the authors have analyzed scalding by hot liquids, burns due to contact with a hot object, burns due to electric current, explosion, and injury caused by burning clothing. Injury by scalding prevails to a very significant degree in the youngest children. In the second age group the incidence of burn following contact with hot objects increases, as does the percentage of children injured by burning of clothing in children aged 5 - 10. The older children have increased prevalence of injuries caused by explosions. The greatest average extent of an injury is from burning of clothing. Most of the areas are burned deeply, localized in more areas of the body, and almost half of the cases required surgical intervention. Scalding comes second in terms of average extent of an injury. More than half of the injured areas are superficial, and areas of injury are different in the individual age groups. We addressed about a fifth of the cases surgically. The explosion of combustible materials caused a smaller extent of injury, on average, taking third place. The injuries were predominantly superficial, most commonly involving the head, trunk, and upper extremities. In none of the cases it was necessary for us to operate. Burn injuries caused by contact with hot objects are of a smaller extent. More than half of the burned areas are deep, localized most commonly in the upper extremities. Surgical intervention was necessary in more than half the cases. In terms of average extent of an injury, the smallest burn injuries are caused by electric current. However, these injuries are deep, and surgical intervention was necessary in all cases.

First experience with the use of vacuum assisted closure in the treatment of skin defects at the burn center.

Morykwas and Argenta developed Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC) in the early 90s for the treatment of tissue defects. In 2004, for the first time at our workplace, we used this method in the treatment of six patients between 54 and 91 years of age. Two of the patients were treated for a varicose ulcer on a lower extremity, two patients for loss of skin after an inflammation secondary to infection, one high-risk patient for deep burns, and one patient for a deep defect caused by an inappropriate medical care. We observed blood circulation improvement in all patients, which permitted an early dermo-epidermal graft.

Endocrine changes after burns: the bone involvement.

Any major burn is followed by a pronounced endocrine and metabolic response, by an acute phase response. In 30 burn subjects whose bone status was studied after burn trauma with the densitometer HOLOGIC 2000, bone involvement was found 6 and 12 months postburn: the Bone Mineral Density (BMD) of their lumbar vertebrae L1-4 and of their left hip dropped significantly in most of them. Elevated levels of cortisol both in blood and in urine (free cortisol) were found, accompanied by very low testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and free testosterone levels in blood of the burned males, but not of the females. Elevated 17beta-estradiol levels were found in many burned males; they were generally not low in the burned females. DHEA-S levels were generally low. Very low levels of the triiodothyronine (T3) and of the free thyroxine (FT4) were found. Increased, even very high, PTH values were occasionally present. hGH and IGF-1 were generally normal, with a few exceptions (low or increased levels). Total and ionized calcium levels were low after burn, 250H vitamin D (calcidiol) was usually low or low normal too. Prolonged and very high levels of CTX and of NTX (both are indicators of bone resorpcion, of collagen catabolism) were found, as well as of the ACP (acid phosphatases), but the latter were less manifest, if compared with the CTX and NTX. ALP (alkaline phosphatases) were elevated too, but their elevated levels were much less pronounced than the levels of CTX and NTX. Osteocalcin levels were initially low to low normal, to increase later to the normal levels. As for the cytokines that had been investigated, mostly the elevated levels of TNFalpha were found, as well as those of IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8. Finally, a few suggestions have been given regarding the additional possibilities how to treat the burned patients: the use of anabolics, of vitamin D, of calcium, eventually of calcitonin.

Treatment by continuous renal replacement therapy in patients with burn injuries.

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a relatively new therapeutic procedure which helps in the treatment of critically ill patients with renal failure as well as those without renal failure. CRRT effectively removes urea and creatinine and maintains a balanced milieu interleur and water balance. A role in the elimination of pro-inflammatory cytokines is also ascribed to this method. Most frequently venovenous haemofiltration and venovenous haemodiafiltration are used. The authors present their experience with the CRRT treatment of 40 patients in the Burn Centre Ostrava and with the results attained.