ISBI practice guidelines for burn care
Reviewed by Lewis Dingle

Practice guidelines (PGs) for burn care were first published in 2001 with multiple updates from the American Burn Association (ABA) on specific areas of burn care including resuscitation, electrical injury, pain management and venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. Significantly, previous guidelines have failed to consider the challenges of delivering best-practice in resource-limited settings (RLS). Following the International Society for Burn Injury (ISBI) motto of “One world, one standard of care,” these updated guidelines are designed to provide recommendations on the care of burns patients not only in the developed world but also in RLS, where the majority of the burns occur. The ISBI committee performed literature reviews to obtain the most up-to-date evidence, as well as sourcing expert opinion on a wide variety of topics related to burn care, including opinion from professionals working in RLS. Topics included in the guidelines are as follows: Organisation and delivery of burn care; Initial assessment and stabilisation; Smoke inhalation injury; Burn shock resuscitation; Escharotomy and fasciotomy in burn care; Wound care; Surgical management of the burn wound; Non-surgical management of burn scars; Infection prevention and control; Antibiotic stewardship; Nutrition; Rehabilitation - position of the burn patient; Rehabilitation - splinting of the burn patient; Pruritus management; Ethical issues; Quality improvement. Each topic contains recommendations from the ISBI committee with a discussion of up-to-date supporting evidence as well as specific reference to its application in RLS. Although lengthy, these up-to-date guidelines are essential reading for all involved in burn care and particularly for those who work in RLS. It is also a useful reference for the current evidence base which underpins modern burn care.

ISBI Practice Guidelines for Burn Care.
ISBI Practice Guidelines Committee.
BURNS
2016;42(5):953-1021.