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Association between burn characteristics and pain severity
Adam J Singer1, Lionelle Beto1, Daniel D Singer1
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY; Department of Surgery, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY.
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
|July 15, 2015
Summary
Full thickness burns are often painful, challenging the traditional view that nerve destruction eliminates pain. Most burn patients experience pain, regardless of burn depth, indicating pain assessment is crucial for all burn types.
Area of Science:
- Burn care and management
- Pain research
- Trauma surgery
Background:
- Traditional belief: full thickness burns are painless due to nerve destruction.
- This study investigates pain severity in relation to burn characteristics.
- Examines if full thickness burns are less painful than superficial burns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the association between patient and burn characteristics and pain severity.
- To determine if full thickness burns are less likely to be painful compared to superficial burns.
Main Methods:
- Structured review of medical records from 2010-2013.
- Data included patient and burn characteristics.
- Pain severity assessed using a 0-10 verbal numeric score upon emergency department arrival.
Main Results:
- 507 patients included; mean age 29.9 years, 68% males.
- Median pain score was 5 (IQR 2-8).
- Isolated full thickness burns had slightly lower median pain scores (4 vs 6, P=.09) but most patients reported pain; pain increased with the number of burns.
Conclusions:
- Full thickness burns are associated with slightly less pain but are frequently painful.
- Pain presence should not exclude the possibility of full thickness burns.
- Pain assessment is vital for all burn patients, irrespective of perceived depth.
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