Serial Casting for Upper Extremity Burn Contractures

Summary

The use of a splint, serial casting and passive stretching have been described in the literature as conservative interventions to manage joint contractures after burn injury. There is a paucity of literature investigating the effect of serial casting on scar contractures following upper extremity (UE) burn injury in adults and a lack of studies using strong methodological approaches. There are also no studies investigating the effect of casting on hypertrophic scars (HSc) and on self-reported UE function. This study is a longitudinal case series design with a criteria for change on the use of serial casting for the treatment of upper extremity burn contractures. The purpose of this study is to estimate the extent to which range of motion (AROM and PROM), scar characteristics and patient-reported upper-extremity function changes following an individually-tailored serial casting treatment program after switching from one week of usual care and to determine if these changes can be maintained 3 weeks after stopping serial casting, for adult burn survivors who developed an upper-extremity joint contracture greater than 15% normal range of motion within 1-year post-burn. This study will be a longitudinal case series design with a criteria for change. A minimum of 12 participants will be recruited from the "Centre d'expertise pour les victimes de brûlures graves de l'ouest du Québec" (CEVBGOQ) and will undergo one week of "usual care". If the PROM of the joint does not improve after one week of usual care, the participant will start the serial casting process, which will be prescribed by the treating OT. PROM/AROM and scar characteristics will be measured using a revised goniometry protocol that incorporates cutaneokinematics (CKM) principles and precise skin measures (DermaScan C, Cutometer®, Mexameter® and Tewameter®) at baseline, every Monday and Friday of the treatment weeks and 3 weeks after treatment cessation. Self-reported UE function and satisfaction related to scarring will be assessed at baseline and 3 weeks after treatment cessation using the QuickDASH and the patient satisfaction assessment scale (PSAS). Analysis on ROM and scar characteristic will be conducted using a graphical representation with a projected "usual care" regression line to count how many outcomes were over the line once the treatment was introduced. This study will contribute to building evidence for the use of serial casting following UE burn contractures in the adult population.

Conditions

• Burn Contracture of Skin

Interventions

OTHER

Tailored serial casting intercention

Every participant will undergo 1 week of usual care for the affected joint according to the OT's prescription (static progressive, dynamic or serial static) combined with stretching, moisturizers, pressure therapy, or thermal modalities. After the one week of splinting, if the PROM of the targeted joint does not improve, the participant will start serial casting (Monday to Friday). Patients will have a cast applied on Monday morning and worn for 24hrs/day or for 48hrs according to the OTs and treating physician's decision (rationale documented).The OT will decide how many weeks the participant will be wearing casts and the rationale to stop this treatment will be documented. When the treatment is stopped, patients will be encouraged to wear a maintenance splint for the following 2 weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Bernadette Nedelec, PhD · CRCHUM

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

16 Years

Max Age

100 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-09-20

Primary Completion

2025-08-31

Completion

2025-09-20

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations