Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Review Meta Analysis
Use of procalcitonin for the detection of sepsis in the critically ill burn patient: a systematic review of the literature.
The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the evidence for use of routine procalcitonin testing to diagnose the presence of sepsis in the burn patient. The electronic databases MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, ProQuest, and SCOPUS were searched for relevant studies using the MeSH terms burn, infection, procalcitonin, and meta-analysis. The focus of the review was the adult burn population, but other relevant studies of critically ill patients were included as data specific to the patient with burns are limited. ⋯ Evaluation of the burn specific studies is limited by the use of guidelines to define sepsis and inconsistent results from the burn studies. Utility of the procalcitonin assay is limited due to the lack of availability of rapid, inexpensive tests. However, it appears procalcitonin assay is a safe and beneficial addition to the clinical diagnosis of sepsis in the burn intensive care unit.
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Review Meta Analysis
Quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines for adaptation in burn injury.
A number of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are available for managing burn injury patients but clinical practice is highly variable. We report the first steps to trans-contextual adaptation of international burn CPGs to local settings. ⋯ Although existing CPGs for the management of burn may accurately reflect agreed clinical practice, most performed poorly when evaluated for methodological quality. Future CPG efforts addressing these methodological shortcomings would add substantially to the improved management of burned patients.