Authors (including presenting author) :
Chiang YCF (1), Ting WCJ (1), Wong TWA (1), Chau KFD (1), Chiu TW (1)
Affiliation :
Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital
Introduction :
Burns are of one of the commonest injuries in daily life and workplace, leading to morbidity and potentially mortality due to a loss of skin barrier as defensive mechanism to invasion of pathogenic microorganisms from the external environment.
Burns patients are often treated with dressing and tissue debridement, as well as the use of systemic antibiotics. Wound bacterial swabs and tissue cultures are commonly used clinically to detect infection and subsequently determine antibiotics regimen. However, microbiological cultures take a long time, and it could be difficult to decide the most appropriate treatment in a timely manner, and such prevention or early treatment of infection mainly depends on the experience of clinicians.
Objectives :
We aim to describe the colonisation of microbiomes caused by types and depth of burn injuries.
Methodology :
We recruited patients with burn injuries who were admitted to the Burns Centre at PWH between 1st October 2023 and 31st March 2024. We retrieved detailed data from Burns Centre admission book and in-hospital Clinical Management System (CMS) with Electronic Patient Record (ePR) designed by the Hospital Authority (HA), Hong Kong.
Result & Outcome :
From 1st October 2023 to 31st March 2024, 74 patients were admitted for burn injuries, with total body surface area ranging from 1.5% to 70%. 569 wound swabs and tissue cultures were taken, of which results performed from day 6 or above were traced, and the top 5 bacteria cultured were: 1) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 2) Staphylococcus aureus, 3) Coagulase-negative staphylococci, 4) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and 5) Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii complex.
We have identified the commonest microbiomes from burn injuries, which could potentially provide reference on early antibiotics and topical treatment to enhance wounds recovery and minimise systemic infections.
