Abstract
Introduction: Burn wounds are commonly infected by organisms which delay wound healing. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the flora obtained from wounds of burn patients in order to determine the most effective treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the frequencies of various bacteria isolated from burn wounds and to determine their antimicrobial susceptibility. Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2018 to November 2018 which included consecutive samples of burn wounds from patients admitted to the burn ward of a tertiary care hospital. Bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibility were determined by swab cultures and sensitivity tests by standard aseptic techniques. Data were analysed via the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), v23.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY). Chi-square tests were applied between qualitative variables, while the Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare the means of asymmetrical data. Bacterial isolates and their susceptibility pattern were represented as frequencies and pie charts.Results: A total of 178 samples were obtained from 109 patients from burn wounds. One hundred and twenty-two wounds (68.5%) showed growth and 56 (31.4%) showed no growth after 24 hours of incubation. Positive cultures were significantly more frequent in wounds of greater than one-week duration (p < 0.002). Out of 158 bacterial isolates, the most common isolate was Pseudomonas aeruginosa - 41 specimens (24.91%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus - 38 specimens (24.05%), Acinetobacter - 27 (17.09%), Klebsiella - 24 (15.19%), Escherichia coli - 13 (8.23%), Proteus - 7 (4.43%), other coliforms - 6 (3.8%), Enterococcus - 1 (0.63%), and Enterobacter - 1 (0.63%). Drug resistance to penicillin G, ampicillin, Augmentin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, meropenem, and piperacillin+tazobactam was exceptionally high.Conclusion: The most common bacterial isolates are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Piperacillin+tazobactam against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and vancomycin and linezolid against Staphylococcus aureus are highly effective and can be used as empirical therapies.
Highlights
Burn wounds are commonly infected by organisms which delay wound healing
Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2018 to November 2018 which included consecutive samples of burn wounds from patients admitted to the burn ward of a tertiary care hospital
A total of 178 samples were obtained from 109 patients from burn wounds
Summary
Burn wounds are commonly infected by organisms which delay wound healing. it is necessary to evaluate the flora obtained from wounds of burn patients in order to determine the most effective treatment. Burn injuries to the skin and other tissues are caused by heat, radiation, electricity, friction, or contact with chemicals [1]. Around 180,000 deaths occur annually due to burns, and the majority of these deaths occur in low or middle income developing countries [1]. They are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost in these countries. Children and females are the two major groups who become victims of burn injuries. Burn injuries which do not cause death result in a significant amount of morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, disfigurement, and disability, often with resulting stigma and rejection [1]. In 2015, fire and heat resulted in 67 million injuries [2]
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