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Updated: Jun 11, 2025
Rat Burn Model to Study Full-Thickness Cutaneous Thermal Burn and Infection
Published on: August 23, 2022
Epidemiology and timing of infectious complications from battlefield-related burn injuries
Matthew R Geringer1, Laveta Stewart2, Faraz Shaikh2
1Infectious Disease Service, Brooke Army Medical Center, 3551 Roger Brooke Drive, JBSA Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, United States.
Background:
Infections are the most frequent complication and cause of mortality in burn patients. We describe the epidemiology and outcomes of infections among deployed U.S. military personnel with burns.
Methods:
Military personnel who sustained a burn injury in Iraq or Afghanistan (2009-2014) and were admitted to the Burn Center at U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at Brooke Army Medical Center were included in the analysis.
Results:
The study population included 144 patients who were primarily young (median 24 years) males (99 %) with combat-related burns (62 %) sustained via a blast (57 %), resulting in a median total body surface area burned (TBSA) of 6 % (IQR 3-14 %). Twenty-six (18 %) patients developed infections, with pneumonia being the predominant initial infection (= 16), followed by skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTI, = 6), bloodstream infections (BSI, = 3), and intra-abdominal infections (IAI, = 1). Initial infections were diagnosed at a median of 4 days (IQR 3-5) post-injury for pneumonia, 7 days (IQR 4-12) for SSTIs, 7 days (IQR 6-7) for BSI, and 17 days for IAI. Patients with infections were more severely injured with greater TBSA (median 31 % vs 5 %), more inhalation injury (38 % vs 12 %), and longer time to definitive surgical management (median of 34 days vs 9) compared to those who did not develop infections (p < 0.001). Among patients with inhalation injury, a higher proportion developed pneumonia (42 %) compared to those without inhalation injury (5 %; p < 0.001). Five patients developed an invasive fungal infection. Gram-negative bacilli were most frequently recovered, with 32 % of Gram-negative isolates being multidrug-resistant. Four patients died, of whom all had ≥ 4 infections.
Conclusions:
Military personnel with burn injuries who developed infections were more severely injured with greater TBSA and inhalation injury. Improved understanding of risk factors for burn-related infections in combat casualties is critical for effective management.
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