Ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser improves quality of life in patients with extensive burn scars: A nested case–control study

摘要

Abstract Background and Objectives Ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser (CO2‐AFL) for small‐area burn scar management shows encouraging outcomes. Few studies, however, focused on comprehensive outcomes following CO2‐AFL treatment for extensive burn scars. This study evaluated whether CO2‐AFL surgery improved the quality of life (QoL) for burn survivors with extensive hypertrophic scars. Methods A retrospective nested case–control study was initiated to analyze the efficacy of CO2‐AFL treatment for patients with large‐area burn scars. Patients with extensive burn scars (≥30% total body surface area?[TBSA]) were registered in our hospital from March 2016 to October 2018. Patients undergoing CO2‐AFL surgery were divided into CO2‐AFL group, and patients undergoing conventional surgery were matched in a 1:1 ratio as the conventional surgery group according to the burned area. The questionnaires were collected and followed up. The 36‐Item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36) and Burns Specific Health Scale–Brief (BSHS‐B) were the primary parameters. Secondary parameters included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), University of North Carolina “4P” Scars Scale (UNC4P), Patient Scars Assessment Scale for Patient (POSAS‐P), and Douleur Neuropathique 4 questions (DN4). Results 23 patients (55.96?±?21.59% TBSA) were included in CO2‐AFL group and 23 patients (57.87?±?18.21% TBSA) in conventional surgery group. Both the BSHS‐B total score (CO2‐AFL vs. conventional surgery: 115.35?±?29.24 vs. 85.43?±?33.19, p?=?0.002) and the SF‐36 total score (CO2‐AFL vs. conventional surgery: 427.79?±?118.27 vs. 265.65?±?81.66, p?