Epidemiology and Early Bacteriology of Extremely Severe Burns from an LPG Tanker Explosion in Eastern China

Abstract

The incidence of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-related accidents in China has increased over the recent years. In addition, infection remains a big challenge in cases of severe burns. Therefore, the present study aimed to provide valuable information for a better control of infections in the event of such disasters. In this study, a total of 16 patients who suffered extremely severe burns after an LPG tanker explosion were included. Thereafter, bacteriological culture results were collected within a week. Of 16 patients, 13 (81.25%) were male and the average age of all patients was 60.63 years. In addition, the mean burned area was 83.03% TBSA. Additionally, a total of 553 organism cultures were conducted out of which 287 isolates (51.90%) showed positive results. Notably, 38.52% were Gram-negative bacteria, 7.59% were Gram-positive bacteria and 5.79% were fungi. Moreover, the most prevalent Gram-negative bacteria were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (28.97%) followed by Acinetobacter baumannii (28.53%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.02%). On the other hand, the three most predominant Gram-positive bacteria were Enterococcus faecalis (33.33%), Staphylococcus aureus (28.89%) and Staphylococcus sciuri (17.78%). Furthermore, the most common fungi included Candida (38.24%), Fusarium (20.59%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (14.71%). With regard to the bacterial resistance patterns, carbapenem-resistant organisms included Acinetobacter baumannii (97.80%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (67.57%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (75.56%). In addition, Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus haemolyticus were identified to be methicillin-resistant. This study revealed that there was a high incidence of infection in victims of severe burns as a result of mass burn accidents, accompanied by early fungal infection.

Distribution of Nosocomial Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance among Patients with Burn Injuries in China: A Comprehensive Research Synopsis and Meta-Analysis

“…[ 34 ] 2014–19 Liaoning Tertiary 750 2113 791 499 154 126 – 7 Jin et al. [ 18 ] 2020 Zhejiang Tertiary 16 400 13 37 91 45 3 5 Yang et al. [ 35 ] 2016–20 Yunnan Tertiary 245 367 42 74 73 15 11 8 Yu et al.…”

“…In this study, the proportion of Staphylococcus epidermidis was 5.9%, which is consistent with findings in South Korea (4.4%) [ 96 ]. However, in a study conducted in the eastern region of China, the proportion of Staphylococcus epidermidis (0.75%) was significantly lower [ 18 ]. This difference may be owing to different causative factors.…”

“…Clinicians must rationally prescribe antibiotics and formulate strategies to avoid antimicrobial resistance in patients with burn injuries. Although the regional compositions of burn infection pathogens and antibiotic resistance have been studied in China, comprehensive reports on the overall situation with pathogen infections and resistance among individuals suffering from burns in China are lacking [ 13 , 18 ]. This study aimed to evaluate and summarize the pathogen infection status among individuals suffering from burns in China and provide a synopsis of our current understanding of the infection spectrum and antimicrobial resistance patterns in patients with burn injuries.…”

Comparison between XGboost model and logistic regression model for predicting sepsis after extremely severe burns

“…Extremely severe burns result in widespread damage to skin and tissues, and cause serious physiological and metabolic disturbances that require special treatment and intensive care. 1–3 Patients with extremely severe burns have a high risk for developing sepsis and a high mortality rate. 4–6 However, there has been little research on risk factors associated with sepsis in patients with extremely severe burns, and the clinical management of these patients continues to pose many challenges.…”