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BackgroundEarly sepsis diagnosis is crucial for the correct management of burn patients, and it clearly influences outcomes. The systemic inflammatory response triggered by burns mimics sepsis presentation and complicates early sepsis diagnosis. Biomarkers were advocated to aid the diagnosis of early sepsis. Serum procalcitonin (PCT) exhibits fair accuracy and good correlation with sepsis severity, being used in diverse clinical settings. However, few studies have evaluated perioperative changes in PCT levels in burn patients. The present study evaluated PCT kinetics during the first days after burn injury and subsequent surgical interventions to assess PCT utility in distinguishing septic from non-septic inflammatory responses.MethodsThis study was a retrospective observational study of all burn patients admitted to the Coimbra Burns Unit (Portugal) between January 2011 and December 2014 who presented with a total burn surface area ≥ 15% and who underwent subsequent surgery. PCT kinetics were investigated a) during the first five days after burn injury and b) preoperatively during the five days after surgery in three subsets of patients, including those with no preoperative and no postoperative sepsis (NN), no preoperative but postoperative sepsis (NS), and preoperative and postoperative sepsis (SS). A total of 145 patients met the selection criteria and were included in the analysis.ResultsPCT levels in the first five days after burn injury were significantly higher in patients who developed at least one sepsis episode (n = 85) compared with patients who did not develop sepsis (n = 60). PCT values > 1.00 ng/mL were clearly associated with sepsis. Study participants (n = 145) underwent a total of 283 surgical interventions. Their distribution by preoperative/postoperative sepsis status was 142 (50.2%) in NN; 62 (21.9%) in NS; and 79 (27.9%) in SS. PCT values exhibited a parallel course in the three groups that peaked on the second postoperative day and returned to preoperative levels on the third day or later. The lowest PCT values were found in NN, and the highest values were observed in SS; the NS values were intermediate.ConclusionsPCT kinetics coupled with a clinical examination may be helpful for sepsis diagnosis during the first days after burn injury and burn surgery.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12871-018-0585-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Although electrical burns have a rather low incidence, they are considered one of the most devastating injuries. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse specific aspects of electrical injuries and to delineate a prevention strategy. A retrospective analysis of medical records of all the patients admitted to our Unit with electrical burns over a 10-year period (2006/01/01-2015/12/31) was undertaken. Demographic data, mechanism of injury and electric current voltage, total burn surface area (TBSA), location and depth of burns, acute complications, surgical interventions and length of hospital stay (LOS) were analysed. Out of 1695 burn patients admitted to our Unit, 99 subjects (5.84%) suffered electrical burns. 97% of these patients were male. The mean age was 38.3±13.7years and mean TBSA was 11.9%±13.2%. The mechanism of injury was occupational in 75 cases. Injuries were classified as low-voltage burns (24.2%), highvoltage burns (30.3%) and flash burns (45.5%). TBSA (p=0.014), mean LOS (p=0.002) and serum creatinine kinase levels (p<0.001) were significantly higher in patients with high-voltage injury in comparison to low-voltage injury, as well as the incidence of escharotomy/ fasciotomy (p=0.049) and flap surgeries (p=0.004). Although there was a higher incidence of amputations in this group (16.7% vs. 12.5%), the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.487). The high prevalence of electrical burns in males and workers emphasizes the need to review occupational safety regulations. Educational efforts regarding potential hazards of electricity and reinforcing compliance with safety measures are essential to avoid these injuries.

Sepsis is the main cause of death in burns. Early institution of antimicrobial therapy is crucial to optimize outcomes but superfluous therapy increases adverse events, microbial resistance, and costs. Blood cultures are the gold standard for diagnosis but can take 48 to 72 hours. Biomarkers are used to help sepsis diagnosis and distinction between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial cause. The aim of this work is to evaluate procalcitonin (PCT) accuracy for this distinction in burn patients. Retrospective observational study of adult septic burn patients with ≥15% total burn surface area admitted from January 2011 to December 2014 at a Burn Unit in Portugal. A statistical analysis was done, evaluating the correlation between PCT levels on the day of the first positive blood culture and microbiological data for Gram-negative and Grand-positive bacteria. Patients with mixed bacterial and/or fungal blood cultures were excluded. Data were summarized by quartiles statistics. Blood cultures were positive in 189 patients: 75 (39.7%) showed growth for Gram-negative and 114 (60.3%) for Gram-positive bacteria. Patients with Gram-negative bacteria have significantly higher PCT levels. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed accuracy for Gram-negative discrimination with area under the curve = 0.687. Most elevated levels were related to nonfermentative Gram-negative bacteria and by Klebsiella pneumoniae and other Enterobacteriaceae. PCT levels were significantly higher in burn patients with Gram-negative sepsis comparing to patients with Gram-positive sepsis and controls. The determination of PCT levels may help the choice of empirical antimicrobial therapy while microbiological culture results are not available, despite not fully ensuring the desirable degree of precision. An early and adequate antimicrobial therapy is the main step for the management of septic patients. 1 Unfortunately, differential diagnosis between sepsis and the systemic inflammatory response triggered by trauma is difficult, particularly in burn patients where the usual clinical signs of sepsis are frequently present even in the absence of microbial infection. 2 For instance, burn injuries leading to upregulation of the hypothalamic thermal center, physiologic release of catecholamines and cytokines, shift of fluids and the consequent cardiovascular changes, can produce hyperthermia, tachycardia, hypotension, etc., that are transitory and do not reflect any microbial invasion but just a tentative of adjustment of human body systems to the changes in the homeostatic equilibrium.

BackgroundDue to greater infection susceptibility, sepsis is the main cause of death in burn patients. Quick diagnosis and patient stratification, early and appropriated antimicrobial therapy, and focus control are crucial for patients’ survival. On the other hand, superfluous extension of therapy is associated with adverse events and arousal of microbial resistance. The use of biomarkers, necessarily coupled with close clinical examination, may predict outcomes, stratifying patients who need more intensive care, and monitor the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy, allowing faster de-escalation or stop, reducing the development of resistance and possibly the financial burden, without increasing mortality. The aim of this work is to check the suitability of procalcitonin (PCT) to fulfill these goals in a large sample of septic burn patients.MethodsOne hundred and one patients, with 15% or more of total body surface area (TBSA) burned, admitted from January 2011 to December 2014 at Coimbra Burns Unit (CBU), in Portugal were included in the sample. All patients had a diagnosis of sepsis, according to the American Burn Association (ABA) criteria. The sample was factored by survival (68 survivors and 33 non-survivors). The maximum value of PCT in each day was used for statistical analysis. Data were summarized by location measures (mean, median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) and dispersion measures (standard error and range measures). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS© 23.0 IBM© for Windows©.ResultsThere were statistically significant differences between PCT levels of patients from the survivor and non-survivor groups during the first and the last weeks of hospitalization as well as during the first week after sepsis suspicion, being slightly higher during this period. During the first 7 days of antimicrobial therapy, PCT was always higher in the non-survivor, still without reaching statistical significance, but when the analysis was extended till the 15th day, PCT increased significantly, rapidly, and steadily, denouncing therapy failure.ConclusionDespite being not an ideal biomarker, PCT proved to have good prognostic power in septic burn patients, paralleling the evolution of the infectious process and reflecting the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy, and the inclusion of its serial dosing may be advised to reinforce antimicrobial stewardship programs at burn units; meanwhile, more accurate approaches are not available.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s41038-018-0112-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Despite continuous advances in burn care, sepsis is still the main cause ofdeath in burn patients. Procalcitonin (PCT) has been reported as an accurate sepsis biomarker and also as a fair predictor of death. The aim of this study was to assess PCT kinetics in the first week post-burns regarding sepsis diagnosis and death prognosis. Material and Methods Sample included142 patients with ≥15%TBSA, admitted from January 2011 to December 2014 at Coimbra Burns Unit (CBU), Portugal. Sepsis diagnosis was done according to American Burn Association criteria. PCT range and median values in the first seven days after burns were statistically analyzed for its potential for sepsis diagnosis and death prognosis. Sub-analysis were done regarding TBSA, gender, age and inhalation injury Results First week PCT range and median were significant for sepsis diagnosis and death prognosis, but median AUC was greater in the last case. TBSA influenced PCT accuracy, which was greater for TBSA &lt;40% either for diagnosis or prognosis. Age was inversely related with the accuracy, being better under 40 years in both cases. PCT diagnostic accuracy was not affected by gender, opposing to prognostic one which is better in women. Inhalation injury had no effect on diagnostic accuracy, but it happens with prognostic accuracy. Conclusion PCT levels’ variation is related with sepsis evolution and outcome. Its median performs better than its range. Always coupled with clinical examination, monitoring PCT levels kinetics may help early sepsis detection, potentially reducing morbidity and mortality, being also useful for death prognosis.

Background Implant-based breast reconstruction has evolved tremendously in the last decades, mainly due to the development of new products and techniques that make the procedure safer and more reliable. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes in immediate one-stage breast reconstruction between acellular dermal matrix (ADM) and inferior dermal flap (IDF). Methods We conducted a retrospective comparative study of patients submitted to immediate breast reconstructions with an anatomical implant and ADM or IDF in a single center between 2016 and 2018. Outcomes evaluated included major complications, early complications, reinterventions, readmissions, and reconstruction failure. Simple descriptive statistics and univariate analysis were performed. Results A total of 118 breast reconstructions (85 patients) were included in the analysis. Patients in the IDF group had a higher body mass index (median = 27.0) than patients in the ADM group (median = 24). There were no statistically significant differences among both groups regarding immediate major complication, early complications, readmissions, and reinterventions. Conclusion There are no significant differences in complications between the ADM and IDF approach to immediate implant breast reconstruction. In patients with higher body mass index and large, ptotic breasts, we recommend an immediate implant reconstruction with IDF.

Introduction: Evaluating the impact of surgical treatment on health-related quality of life of breast cancer patients has become increasingly relevant, particularly for reconstructive procedures. The BREAST-Q consists of a broadly used patient-reported outcome measure to assess the impact of breast surgery on the health-related quality of life of these patients. The aim of this study was to translate and linguistically validate the BREAST-Q reconstructive module to European Portuguese.Material and Methods: The translation and linguistic validation process was based on the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research guidelines and started after obtaining permission from the original authors (developers). It involved two direct English to European Portuguese translations and a back translation, maintaining conceptual and cultural equivalence, an expert panel discussion, cognitive interviews with five patients and a final consensus.Results: The forward translations led to the revision of three conceptually distinct items. The backward translation resulted in predominantly wording discrepancies and the three conceptual disparities noted in the back translation were revised on a consensual version. All material was openly discussed with the original authors and in an expert panel meeting. One item was changed after the cognitive interviews. The final consensual version was obtained.Conclusion: This stepwise approach allowed to linguistically validate the BREAST-Q reconstructive module to European Portuguese so that it can be used in the Portuguese population. Additionally, the applied methodology may serve to support and guide other instruments for linguistic validation.