Comparing Infection Assessing Methods in Burn Wound

Background and Although during the last decades, the most frequent cause of death in major thermal burns has been infection, the purpose of this study was to compare infection assessing methods on burn wounds based on diagnostic value of swab sampling and wound local criteria in comparison with tissue sampling (gold standard) to identify burn wound infection. This study was designed as one group cross-sectional non-experimental research. In 1385-86, 45 patients were included by purposive sampling from those admitted to the burn ward at Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad. After preparations, first of all, burn wounds were assessed by wound local criteria tool (designed by researcher) to identify infection; then in the same place swab and tissue sampling were don simultaneity. Swab samples were cultured to identify presence of microorganism which exceeds more than 105 in square centimeter as infection in microbiology lab and tissue samples were assessed histological to identify presence of microorganism in sub-scar vital tissue in pathology lab. Age mean was 36.5±14.25 years old. The frequency of burn wound infection was obtained by wound local criteria, swab sampling and tissue sampling and no significant differences between wound local criteria and tissue sampling were identified. Wound local criteria have advantages to identify infection in burn patient management; therefore, burn wounds in case of presence of increase on exudates, foul odor, necrotic tissue and edema need more extensive attention. Negative results were obtained by swab sampling are more useful than positive results.