Heat burn injury in a neonate: a clinical and surgical challenge
Objectives: neonatal burn injuries are rare and challenging. Immature immune system and fragility of thin skin, paucity of donor sites for wound coverage and long-term complications make clinical management and surgical treatment of burned newborns extremely difficult.
Methods. Case report: a 23-day-old female neonate presented abdominal colic. His father decided to utilize the white noise of a hairdryer to control pain and reduce crying time. Accidentally the baby remained in contact with the heat of the hairdryer for several minutes and she sustained a full thickness burn to the face, left forearm and hand. She was admitted on the same day to our Center, Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital in Turin, in December 2021.
Results: due to the deep circumferential wrist burn, an escharotomy was performed at the arrival to the Emergency Department. In the acute phase, the baby was promptly managed by fluid resuscitation, analgesics, antibiotics and initial conservative wound care. First surgical procedures, escharectomy to the forearm and hand and debridement to the face, were performed at day 5. At day 10, the face and upper extremity were, respectively, covered with amniotic membranes and autologous skin grafts. Due to the depth of burn, a second application of amniotic membranes to the face was performed at day 22. Complete healing was achieved after thirty-five days from burn injury.
Physical therapy and splinting were started promptly. After wound healing, physical therapy was intensified and at day 42, first dye-laser therapy to control hypertrophic scars, was performed. The baby was discharged after forty-eight days. Dye-laser therapy to the face is still performed every 30 days. Despite timely scar management, an important scar contracture of the wrist and hand is present. First surgical intervention for scar release is planned. Psychological support to the parents and their involvement during physical therapy are mandatory throughout the hospitalization and are still ongoing.
Conclusion: this case report presents a challenging situation with a female neonate, with a deep burn to the face and upper limb. A multidisciplinary healthcare team of physicians and therapist is imperative to optimize functional, cosmetic and psychosocial outcomes. A multistep approach consisting in neonatal intensive care, timely surgical indication and prompt post-operative re-habilitation constitute a key points for the successful treatment in neonatal severe burns.

P.081 Heat burn injury in a neonate: a clinical and surgical challenge

Dear friends and colleagues,

We will be pleased to welcome you in Turin (Italy) for the 19th European Burns Association´s Congress in 2022. Italy is honored to hold the meeting of the European Burns Association for the second time, after Verona in 1995. Turin is easily reachable from everywhere in Europe, either travelling by car, train or choosing flight connections. During the meeting, held in the renewed industrial center of the main Italian historical automotive factory (i.e. Lingotto-FIAT), we will meet international burn specialists, focusing on standards of care, progresses in burn treatment, strategies to face disaster situations, with a special attention to education of younger colleagues. However, in your spare time, you might enjoy the sweet days of Italian late summer, simply wandering in the green parks and gardens along the two rivers which cross the city, or you might decide to discover the numerous art galleries, churches, palaces, libraries, walking across elegant squares and large boulevards, passing through centuries of art and history; finally, you may choose to immerse yourself in some of the most exciting museum experiences, such as the Cinema Museum and the Turin’s Egyptian museum.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Turin for the 19th European Association´s Congress in 2022!
Maurizio Stella, Congress President, Turin Burn Centre