ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: More than half a million patients suffer from minor burns in Germany per year. In 2018, almost 2000 patients needed intensive care for their burn injuries. Despite high standards of burn care, mortality remains high. Burn injuries may lead to long-term sequelae. In order to provide up-to-date burn care, guidelines are available online with public access. METHODS AND RESULTS: This overview presents a summary of the German AWMF guideline for the treatment of thermal injuries in adults (https://www.awmf.org/leitlinien/detail/ll/044-001.html). Experts of eleven different medical organisations and specialties have contributed to this S2k guideline with their expertise. The focus of the article is on acute burn wound assessment, the indication for specialised care in burn centres, the management of the burn wound at the trauma scene and in hospitals as well as scar management and rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: This overview reports on the consensus-based treatment of acute burn wounds in adults in Germany. The article is intended to guide doctors and professional caretakers to perform state-of-the-art burn care. The current guideline aims to improve burn outcome.
Subject(s)
Burns , Adult , Burn Units , Burns/therapy , Germany , HumansABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Airway inflammation plays a major role in the progression of chronic lung diseases. The features of airway inflammation are not well defined among patients with cases of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) that began in childhood. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the sputum cell and cytokine profiles of stable cases of BO regarding lung function and the involvement of small airway disease (SAD). METHODS: Twenty patients with BO (median age=14.5, range=7-23years) and 22 healthy controls (median age=16.5years, range=7-24years) were investigated. Lung function parameters and bronchial reversibility testing as well as sputum cell and cytokine profiles (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IL-5, IFN-γ, and NFκB regulation) were analysed using quantitative RT-PCR and cytometric bead assay (CBA) in induced sputum. RESULTS: Patients with BO had significantly lower lung function values, including FVC, forced expiratory volume (FEV1), the Tiffeneau index (FEV1/VC), and MEF25, but increased functional residual capacity (RV/TLC) values. Bronchial reversibility was found in five patients (25%). Moreover, airway inflammation (as indicated by total cells, neutrophils, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and NFκB) was significantly increased among patients with BO compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: BO is predominantly a neutrophilic disease of the small bronchioles featuring elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines leading to tissue remodelling and fibrosis of the small airways. Future therapies for patients with BO should more efficiently target the small airways.
