Faculty Collaboration Database

Negative pressure dressing assisted healing in pediatric burn patients. J Pediatr Surg 2014 Jul;49(7):1142-5

Date

06/24/2014

Pubmed ID

24952804

DOI

10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2014.02.040

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84902984251 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   7 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Pediatric burn patients traditionally require multiple dressing changes and significant amounts of narcotics. Negative pressure dressings (NPDs) have emerged as an effective wound therapy that may represent an alternative primary dressing for these patients.

METHODS: This is a single institution, retrospective study of pediatric burn patients treated with NPDs over a defined 2 year period. Twenty-two patients were identified and their charts reviewed for age, sex, mode of injury, location of injury, degree of burn, length of stay, length of dressing required, number of dressing changes, and narcotic use between dressing changes.

RESULTS: The average patient was 3.5 years old (range of 8 months to 10 years old) with partial thickness burns involving 8.5% (range 3-18%) body surface area. The average treatment regimen was 3.5 dressing changes more than 6.6 days, with a mean hospital stay of 9.6 days. The average child received 9.4 total doses of delivered narcotics during their inpatient care.

DISCUSSION: The use of NPD in pediatric burn patients does require sedation and narcotics which limits its usefulness in the general pediatric burn population. Yet, they adhere well and stay in place even on active children, they capture and quantify fluid losses, they only require changes every 2-4 days and promote the adherence of split thickness skin grafts making them useful in various clinical situations.

CONCLUSIONS: NPDs are a viable option for both partial and full thickness burns in pediatric patients that do not require transfer to a burn unit. NPDs may be advantageous in highly active children, those with extensive fluid losses, those that require sedation for dressing changes and those that will require grafting.

Author List

Koehler S, Jinbo A, Johnson S, Puapong D, de Los Reyes C, Woo R

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Analgesics, Opioid
Anesthesia, General
Burns
Child
Child, Preschool
Conscious Sedation
Female
Humans
Infant
Length of Stay
Male
Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy
Retrospective Studies
Skin Transplantation
Wound Healing