Nederlandse Brandwonden Stichting

The purpose of this international multi-center double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial is to determine the effect of nebulized heparin, compared to placebo, on the number of ventilator-free days at day 28, in burn patients with confirmed inhalation trauma requiring mechanical ventilation.

Accurate early burn depth assessment is important to determine the optimal treatment. The most applied method to asses burn depth is clinical assessment. This method is the least expensive, but not very accurate. Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) has been shown to accurately assess burn depth. The clinical effects, the costs and cost-effectiveness of this device however, are unknown. The hypothesis is that an eary accurate diagnosis will lead to an earlier therapeutic decision: surgery or no surgery. Earlier excision and grafting probably leads to a decrease in wound healing time, in length of hospital stay and in costs.
Before the investigators decide to implement LDI in Dutch burn care a study of the clinical effects and cost-effectiveness of LDI is necessary. Therefore a multicenter randomized controlled trial will be conducted, including all patients with burns of indeterminate depth (burns that are not obviously superficial or full thickness) treated in the Dutch burn centres. In total 200 patients will be included in an 18 months period. The patients are randomly divided in two groups: 'new diagnostic strategy' versus 'current diagnostic strategy'. Burn depth will be diagnosed both by clinical assessment and laser Doppler imaging in all patients. The results of the LDI-scan will be provided to the treating clinician in the 'new diagnostic strategy' group only. Time to wound healing, diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, and costs are observed.

The healing of full thickness skin defects treated with a split thickness skin graft (STSG) is frequently associated with excessive scarring and contraction. The psychological burden of poor cosmesis of these scarred regions as well as functional problems due to skin tightness and decreased joint mobility cause a very significant morbidity in these patients. Application of a dermal substitute underneath the split skin may improve the quality of the scar. Glyaderm is a dermal substitute derived from human skin and due to the elastin in this substitute it will contribute to a long term improvement of pliability and function and a better esthetic outcome.
The main objective is to evaluate the difference in scar quality, after skin restoration of full thickness defects treated with Glyaderm® and STSG versus STSG alone. Secondary objectives are: to evaluate the percentage of Glyaderm® take before application of autografts, to compare healing time and percentage of autograft survival and bacterial load in full thickness defects treated with Glyaderm® and STSG versus STSG alone, and to conduct a concurrent cost-effectiveness and health related quality of life study (i.e. cost utility analysis).
The study is an interventional, prospective, randomized and controlled interactive web based, study in a multicentre setting. Patients with full thickness burn wounds or full thickness skin defects will be evaluated before enrolment. A total of 120 patients will be included.
All included patients will undergo full thickness removal of the burned skin or adequate debridement of all necrotic tissue. The wounds of the patients will be covered with glycerol preserved allografts for wound bed preparation. At the second operation, 5-7 days after the first operation, the allografts are removed. If the wound bed is not suitable for grafting, additional wound bed preparation with allografts is required until the wound bed is satisfactory. If the wound bed is suitable for grafting, the patient is randomized to the Glyaderm® group or the control group. The wounds of the patients randomized to the Glyaderm® group are covered with Glyaderm®. After 6-8 days the wounds are finally covered with a thin STSG. In the control group, the wounds are immediately covered with a thin STSG.
Up to one year after complete wound closure, patients are followed-up for scar evaluation and quality of life.