Plasma protein C levels are directly associated with better outcomes in patients with severe burns

Publication date: Available online 18 June 2019Source: BurnsAuthor(s): Thomas Charles Lang, Ruilong Zhao, Albert Kim, Aruna Wijewardena, John Vandervord, Rachel McGrath, Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Gregory Fulcher, Christopher John JacksonAbstractProtein C circulates in human plasma to regulate inflammation and coagulation. It has shown a crucial role in wound healing in animals, and low plasma levels predict the presence of a wound in diabetic patients. However, no detailed study has measured protein C levels in patients with severe burns over the course of a hospital admission. A severe burn is associated with dysfunction of inflammation and coagulation as well as a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. The current methods of burn assessment have shortcomings in reliability and have limited prognostic value. The discovery of a biomarker that estimates burn severity and predicts clinical events with greater accuracy than current methods may improve management, resource allocation and patient counseling. This is the first study to assess the potential role of protein C as a biomarker of burn severity.We measured the plasma protein C levels of 86 patients immediately following a severe burn, then every three days over the first three weeks of a hospital admission. We also analysed the relationships between burn characteristics, blood test results including plasma protein C levels and clinical events. We used a primary composite outcome of increased support utilisation defined ...

Source: Burns - June 18, 2019 Category: Dermatology Source Type: research