Swab: Point-of-Care Sensor for Simple and Rapid Detection of Acute Wound Infection.

Wound infection is commonly observed after surgery and trauma but is difficult to diagnose and poorly defined in terms of objective clinical parameters. The assumption that bacteria in a wound correlate with infection is false; all wounds contain microorganisms, but not all wounds are clinically infected. This makes it difficult for clinicians to determine true wound infection, especially in wounds with pathogenic biofilms.

Protocol for the development of a core indicator set for reporting burn wound infection in trials: ICon-B study.

Introduction: Systematic reviews of high-quality randomised controlled trials are necessary to identify effective interventions to impact burn wound infection (BWI) outcomes. Evidence synthesis requires that BWI is reported in a consistent manner. Cochrane reviews investigating interventions for burns report that the indicators used to diagnose BWI are variable or not described, indicating a need to standardise reporting.

Resuscitation using less fluid has no negative impact on hydration status in children with moderate sized scalds: a prospective single-centre UK study.

Background: After a burn, optimal fluid resuscitation is critical for positive patient outcome. Although national guidelines advocate using resuscitation fluids of 4mL per kg body weight and percent body surface area (%BSA) for paediatric burns of >10% BSA, evidence in adults suggest that such volumes lead to over-resuscitation and related complications. Our aim was to investigate whether children managed with biosynthetic dressings (Biobrane™) and reduced fluid volumes remain well hydrated, as determined by clinical and laboratory parameters.

Variations in guideline use and practice relating to diagnosis and management of infection in paediatric burns services in England and Wales: A national survey.

Background: Wound infection causes morbidity and mortality in burns. UK National Burns Care Standards state that guidance should be used to diagnose and treat burn wound infection. However, surveys of senior staff about standard operating procedures or guidance in UK burns services indicate that they are infrequently available (Papini et al.

Lack of a standardised UK care pathway resulting in national variations in management and outcomes of paediatric small area scalds.

Introduction: There is a paucity of evidence guiding management of small area partial thickness paediatric scalds. This has prevented the development of national management guidelines for these injuries. This research aimed to investigate whether a lack of evidence for national guidelines has resulted in variations in both management and outcomes of paediatric small area scalds across England and Wales (E&W).