J Korean Burn Soc.  2010 Dec;13(2):140-144.

Investigation of the Result of Massive Pediatric Burn Patients: Early Escharectomy and Allograft

• Yang HT
• Yim H
• Cho YS
• Kim D
• Hur J
• Chun W
• Kim JH
• Seo CH
• Lee BC
• Koh JH

Abstract

PURPOSE
Massive pediatric burns are subject to progress to wound infection and sepsis at early stage. Early escharectomy and allograft made it safer to treat the pediatric burn patients from this morbidity. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of the early escharectomy and temporary wound coverage with allograft on massive pediatric burns.
METHODS
From January 1999 to August 2010, 55 pediatric burn patients aged 1 to 10 years whose total burn surface area was over 20% were reviewed. Among them, only 19 patients underwent escharectomy (Pediatric escharectomy group, PEG) and 36 patients underwent escharectomy and allograft (Pediatric allograft group, PAG) And 533 allograft patients (Allograft group, AG) aged over 10 whose total burn surface area were over 20% were reviewed to compare with the pediatric allograft patients.
RESULTS
PAG was operated earlier (mean 3.6 days from injury) than PEG (mean 5.9 days). The mortality of PAG (8.3%) was lower than the mortality of PEG (31.6%) significantly. And the PAG were operated earlier than AG (mean 5.8 days from injury). But the difference of mortality was not significant statistically between PAG and AG.
CONCLUSION
Early escharectomy and allograft is safe and effective treatment procedure for massive pediatric burn patients by preventing wound sepsis.

Keyword

Early escharectomy; Allograft; Massive pediatric burns

MeSH Terms

Aged
Burns
Humans
Sepsis
Transplantation, Homologous
Wound Infection