Laurien M. Disseldorp

Physical Fitness in People After Burn Injury: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE To gain insight into the physical fitness of people after burn injury compared with healthy subjects, and to present an overview of the effectiveness of exercise training programs in improving physical fitness in people after burn injury. DATA SOURCES Electronic databases EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched for relevant publications. Additionally, references from retrieved publications were checked. STUDY SELECTION The review includes studies that provide quantitative data from objective measures of physical fitness of both the intervention group and the control group. DATA EXTRACTION Characteristics of each study such as study design, institution, and intervention are reported, as well as mean ages and burn sizes of the subjects. Results are divided into 5 components of physical fitness-muscular strength, muscular endurance, body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility-and reported for each component separately. DATA SYNTHESIS Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, and their methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro score and a modified Sackett scale. Six studies were used for the comparison of physical fitness in burned and nonburned subjects, and 9 studies for evaluating the effectiveness of exercise training programs. CONCLUSIONS Physical fitness is affected in people with extensive burns, and exercise training programs can bring on relevant improvements in all components. However, because of the great similarities in the subjects and protocols used in the included studies, the current knowledge is incomplete. Future research should include people of all ages with a broad range of burn sizes, for both short-term and long-term outcomes.

Prevalence of scar contractures after burn : A systematic review

OBJECTIVE Burn scar contractures are the pathological outcome of excessive scarring and ongoing scar contraction. Impairment of joint range of motion is a threat to performing activities in daily living. To direct treatment strategies to prevent and/or correct such contractures, insight into the prevalence, course, and determinants is essential. METHODS A literature search was conducted including Pubmed, Cochrane library, CINAHL, and PEDro. Articles were included if they provided burn scar contracture data to calculate the point prevalence. The quality of the articles was scored. Data were extracted regarding study, subject and burn characteristics, method of scar contracture assessment, point prevalence, and possible determinants. RESULTS Nine articles and one abstract could be included for data extraction. The prevalence at discharge was 38-54%, but with a longer time after burn, the prevalence was lower. Contractures were more likely to occur in more severe burns, flame burns, children, female, the cervical spine, and the upper extremity. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of burn scar contractures varies considerably between studies. When prevalence is unclear, it is also difficult to investigate potential determinants and evaluate changes in interventions. There is a need for extensive, well-designed longitudinal (inter)national studies that investigate prevalence of scar contractures, their evolvement over time, and risk factors.

Design of a cross-sectional study on physical fitness and physical activity in children and adolescents after burn injury

BackgroundBurn injuries have a major impact on the patient’s physical and psychological functioning. The consequences can, especially in pediatric burns, persist long after the injury. A decrease in physical fitness seems logical as people survive burn injuries after an often extensive period of decreased activity and an increased demand of proteins leading to catabolism, especially of muscle mass. However, knowledge on the possibly affected levels of physical fitness in children and adolescents after burn injury is limited and pertains only to children with major burns. The current multidimensional study aims to determine the level of physical fitness, the level of physical activity, health-related quality of life and perceived fatigue in children after a burn injury. Furthermore, interrelations between those levels will be explored, as well as associations with burn characteristics.Methods/designChildren and adolescents in the age range of 6 up to and including 18 years are invited to participate in this cross-sectional descriptive study if they have been admitted to one of the three Dutch burn centers between 6 months and 5 years ago with a burn injury involving at least 10% of the total body surface area and/or were hospitalized ≥ 6 weeks. Physical fitness assessments will take place in a mobile exercise lab. Quantitative measures of cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, body composition and flexibility will be obtained. Outcomes will be compared with Dutch reference values. Physical activity, health-related quality of life and fatigue will be assessed using accelerometry and age-specific questionnaires.DiscussionThe findings of the current study will contribute to a better understanding of the long-term consequences of burn injury in children and adolescents after burns. The results can guide rehabilitation to facilitate a timely and optimal physical recovery.Trial registrationThe study is registered in the National Academic Research and Collaborations Information System of the Netherlands (OND1348800).

Perceived fatigue following pediatric burns

PURPOSE Fatigue is a common consequence of numerous pediatric health conditions. In adult burn survivors, fatigue was found to be a major problem. The current cross-sectional study is aimed at determining the levels of perceived fatigue in pediatric burn survivors. METHODS Perceived fatigue was assessed in 23 children and adolescents (15 boys and 8 girls, aged 6-18 years, with burns covering 10-46% of the total body surface area, 1-5 years post burn) using both child self- and parent proxy reports of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. Outcomes were compared with reference values of non-burned peers. RESULTS At group level, pediatric burn survivors did not report significantly more symptoms of fatigue than their non-burned peers. Individual assessments showed, however, that four children experienced substantial symptoms of fatigue according to the child self-reports, compared to ten children according to the parent proxy reports. Furthermore, parents reported significantly more symptoms of fatigue than the children themselves. Age, gender, extent of burn, length of hospital stay, and number of surgeries could not predict the level of perceived fatigue post-burn. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that fatigue is prevalent in at least part of the pediatric burn population after 1-5 years. However, the fact that parents reported significantly more symptoms of fatigue then the children themselves, hampers evident conclusions. It is essential for clinicians and therapists to consider both perspectives when evaluating pediatric fatigue after burn and to determine who needs special attention, the pediatric burn patient or its parent.