Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the development of burn scar contractures and their impact on joint function, disability and quality of life in a low-income country.
Methods: Patients with severe burns were eligible. Passive range of motion (ROM) was assessed using lateral goniometry. To assess the development of contractures, the measured ROM was compared to the normal ROM. To determine joint function, the normal ROM was compared to the functional ROM. In addition, disability and quality of life (QoL) were assessed. Assessments were from admission up to 12 months after injury.
Results: Thirty-six patients were enrolled, with a total of 124 affected joints. The follow-up rate was 83%. Limited ROM compared to normal ROM values was observed in 26/104 joints (25%) at 12 months. Limited functional ROM was observed in 55/115 joints (48%) at discharge and decreased to 22/98 joints (22%) at 12 months. Patients who had a contracture at 12 months reported more disability and lower QoL, compared to patients without a contracture (median disability 0.28 versus 0.17 (p = 0.01); QoL median 0.60 versus 0.76 (p = 0.001)). Significant predictors of developing joint contractures were patient delay and the percentage of TBSA deep burns.
Conclusion: The prevalence of burn scar contractures was high in a low-income country. The joints with burn scar contracture were frequently limited in function. Patients who developed a contracture reported significantly more disability and lower QoL. To limit the development of burn scar contractures, timely access to safe burn care should be improved in low-income countries.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2021.04.024 | DOI Listing |
Ann Burns Fire Disasters
December 2024
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
Hypertrophic burn scars can occur due to imbalances in the healing process and affect quality of life. They can be assessed with the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). This is an assessment instrument with both a patient scale and an observer scale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Burns Fire Disasters
December 2024
Department of Emergency Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Topical antibiotic application and occlusive dressings stand as the current standard of care for partial thickness burn (PTB) treatment. Silver sulfadiazine (SSD) is the most widely used topical antimicrobial agent for acute burn management worldwide. Despite its antimicrobial benefits, there is emerging evidence that SSD might delay wound reepithelialization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndian J Plast Surg
December 2024
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Traditionally, burn reconstructions have been performed by the use of skin grafting or local flaps. Recently free flaps are being used with increasing frequency. Although not very common in the head neck region, free flaps are mostly used for secondary reconstructions of cervicofacial contractures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndian J Plast Surg
December 2024
Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
The medial sural artery perforator (MSAP) flap is reliable in resurfacing defects of the popliteal fossa. There is possibility of resurfacing the popliteal fossa defects after postburn contracture release with scarred MSAP flaps with good overall long-term outcomes. A study was conducted from June 2017 to July 2023 to evaluate the functional and surgical scar aesthetic outcome in patients with soft-tissue defects in the popliteal fossa after postburn contracture release that were reconstructed using scarred and unscarred MSAP flap with 10 patients in each group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife Sci
December 2024
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, China; The First Clinical Medical College School, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, China; Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Pain Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, China. Electronic address:
Aims: This study explores the potential of neuromodulation, specifically transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), as a promising rehabilitative therapy in spinal cord injury (SCI).
Main Methods: By meticulously optimizing treatment parameters and durations, our objective was to enhance nerve regeneration and facilitate functional recovery. To assess the efficacy of tACS, our experiments used the rat T10 SCI model.
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