Thermal burns are widespread in the United States, with over 2 million persons harmed each year, with approximately 155 per million patients requiring hospitalization and 6500 instances ending in death.
Medical care for burns is crucial, especially if they are second-degree or worse and damage a significant amount of body surface area.
Thermal burns are difficult to cure for a variety of reasons, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be utilized as a part of the treatment regimen to shorten healing time and enhance outcomes.
A recent study covers the pathophysiology of thermal burns and emphasizes the importance of the inter-professional team in the therapy of these patients using HBOT.
The most alarming aspect of a thermal burn is an infection, which is the major cause of burn fatality.
This is due to a breakdown in the integumentary barrier, which allows germs to infiltrate and thrive, as well as clogged or compromised microvasculature, which prevents cellular and humoral materials from reaching the burn site.
The immune system is suppressed, reducing the function of immunoglobulins and macrophages in chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and other antimicrobial characteristics.
Aside from infection, burns can cause a variety of comorbidities such as pneumonia, respiratory failure, cellulitis, urinary tract infection (UTI), and sepsis.
The goals of burn treatment are to reduce edema, keep tissue viable in the burn’s stasis zone, protect the microvasculature, and boost host defenses to prevent infection.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help patients by addressing these physiological imbalances. Thermal burns must be treated as soon as possible.
For burns that extend into the dermis and beyond, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is indicated.
HBO therapy might be a helpful supplementary therapy to add if a patient has an inhalation injury, hindered wound healing, significant edema, or a big area of skin involvement.
HBO has been demonstrated to improve graft placement success in patients who have received a skin transplant or flap.
