Presentation Description
Institution: Concord Repatriation General Hospital - NSW, Australia
Introduction: Burn injuries to the feet constitute a significant proportion of burn presentations to Concord Burn Injury Service. Although the burns constitute a small percentage of the body, they can have devastating clinical outcomes in terms of morbidity if not managed with expert care, especially burns to feet. With an increasing prevalence of diabetes globally, understanding and refining the management of burns in this specific demographic are crucial.
Methods: We describe an updated protocol routinely utilised in our tertiary burns referral centre for ensuring safe outcomes in high-risk patients with diabetic feet burns. After appropriate risk stratification, patients undergo meticulous work-up including biochemical and radiological investigations to determine level of diabetic control or presence of osteomyelitis. There is a low threshold to perform vascular studies to exclude peripheral vascular disease and if confirmed, routinely pursue revascularisation prior to debridement. The burn wound debridement is meticulous and if necessary, temporised with 3M Veraflo (negative pressure wound therapy with instillation) until reconstruction is deemed suitable. Post-operative care involves graduated mobilisation protocols with early fitting of weight-offloading orthoses by podiatrists.
Discussion: The optimal management of foot burns involves a multidisciplinary approach with attention given to identifying and managing risk factors appropriately. Standardisation of care in this difficult patient population, in conjunction with appropriate patient education are instrumental in improving patient outcomes.
Speakers
Authors
Authors
Dr Kiane Zhou - , Miranda Pye - , Dr Justine O'Hara - , Prof Peter Maitz -