Comprehensive perception of burn conversion: a literature review

Burn conversion is the conversion of stasis zone into both greater burn area and burn depth. It may hamper the patient's condition since morbidity and mortality are expected to be higher with the increase of burn size. To gain a comprehensive perception of burn conversion, this study aims to collect the latest updates regarding therapy, diagnosis, etiology and prognosis. A literature search was carried out on online databases, namely PubMed, SCOPUS and PROQUEST. The keywords "Burns AND (Conversion OR Progression OR Expansion)" were formulated. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. Twenty-six articles were found, which were divided into diagnosis of burn conversion (11%), etiology of burn conversion (8%), prognosis of burn conversion (0%), and therapy of burn conversion (81%). All of the research was performed on animals. One of the best tools to diagnose burn conversion was the forwardlooking infrared (FLIR) imaging, having sensitivity up to 96% and specificity up to 100% to predict scar depth ≥3 mm. The main etiology was ischemia, reactive oxygen species and inflammation. Most of the research regarding therapy showed benefit in preventing burn conversion. However, no side effects were investigated and not all of the research was statistically significant. More research on burn conversion prognosis and treatment side effects should be performed. Further research involving trials in humans should be conducted, since animal and human trials may differ.