Burn Hand, Outcome Analysis and Therapeutic Aspects of Burn Treated in Albania.

Abstract

Background: Even that the entire hand represents 4 percent of the TBSA, The American Burn Association, the Advanced Trauma Life Support, and the Advanced Burn Life Support curricula all recognize the severity of hand burns by classifying these as injuries requiring treatment at a burn qualified centre. Hand burns occur commonly both as part of larger burn injuries as well as isolated injuries. Due to damage to the skin and other parts of the hand, burns can lead to open wounds, disability, severe emotional and psychological complications, and economic burden. Aim: To give an overview of epidemiologic features and outcome of burn hand patients who are admitted in our Service. This current study was performed in University Hospital Centre "Mother Teresa" Tirana which is the only tertiary hospital in Albania. Material and methods: In this retrospective study were included all patients who had combustion of the hands solely or hands accompanied with burns to other areas of the body, treated and followed up during the years 2011-2016. Results: Of the 333 included burn patients, 64% were males.The median age of women is 21.8 years, of men is 27.5 years and the median age total patients' population is 25.9 years. About half of patients belong to the age group 20-60 years (49.5%) and only 10.2% belong to the age above 60 years. In most of the cases (73.6%), the burn of hands is associated with burn of the other anatomical region, mostly forearm. Conclusion: The goal of wound management is to have the skin healed by post-burn in two weeks' time. In many cases, this will occur nonoperatively with good wound care. The surgical treatment is used for less 30% than of patients. Surgical excision of the burn with split-thickness skin grafting should be undertaken as soon as it becomes obvious that wound healing will not be complete by post-burn day 14. The undesirable results of the burn of hands are presented in the 33% of the patients. The contractures were the main unfavorable outcome of the burned hand.