ASSESSMENT OF BURN WOUND INFECTION BY SWAB CULTURE AND BIOPSY, CULTURE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

It is estimated that infection accounts for 50-75% of death in burn patients following first resuscitation. The most common cause of burn wound sepsis is superficial bacterial infection of the lesion, which may progress to invasiveness. It has been shown that the degree of bacterial wound infection correlates directly with the likelihood of wound sepsis. The risk of invasive burn wound infection is determined by patient parameters such as age, amount of damage, and depth of burn, as well as microbial factors such as kind and quantity, enzyme and toxin production, and organism motility.MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients All patients who completed an informed permission form and had full-thickness burns that covered more than 20% of their total body surface area (TBSA) were examined. They were tracked until they were discharged or died. During this time, 75 instances were investigated. Criteria for exclusion
1) Burns that cover less than 20% of the body's surface area 2) Patients suffering from inhalational burns 3) Patients who died or were released from the hospital in less than 10 days 4) Patients who refused to provide consent.
RESULTSA total of 75 patients with burn wound were admitted and treated during the study period. The peak incidence of burn injuries was seen in the age group of 20-29 yrs. Increased prevalence was seen among females (84%). The mean age was 26.6 years for males and 24.8 years for females. The average number of days of hospitalization was 28 days. Maximum duration was 60 days and minimum were 10 days. The mean Total Burn Surface Area is 50.5%; minimum being 20% and maximum being 90%.
CONCLUSION This research reveals that although surface swab and tissue biopsy have a strong association for finding bacteria on and inside burn sites, they do not have adequate predictive value to determine clinical outcome. Burn size, on the other hand, has a positive correlation with wound infection and prognosis.