Chronic burn wound treatment by Erbium: YAG fractional ablation: First described report and literature review
In the past, the largest concern of a severe, acute thermal injury was survival. With a current estimated survival rate of 96.8% of patients admitted to burn centers [1], burn survivors are now plagued with the lifelong consequences of burn scar morbidity. Treatments for hypertrophic scarring, specifically burn scar contracture, have been heavily explored in the literature; however, there is a paucity of studies exploring chronic wounds post thermal injury [2]. While treatments for these wounds range from debridement and wound care [3] to hyperbaric oxygen therapy [2], patients are often troubled with these wounds for indefinite amounts of time.
Source: Burns : Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries - Category: Cosmetic Surgery Authors: Tarik D. Madni, Karen Lu, Jonathan B. Imran, Audra T. Clark, John E. Hoopman, Jeffrey M. Kenkel, Herb A. Phelan Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research