title: Effects of sera from burn patients after escharectomy during the early stage of burn injury on endothelial monolayer permeability: an in vitro study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE: To understand the prophylactic and therapeutic effect of early eschar excision after burn injury on endothelial cell damage. METHODS: Fourteen patients with severe burns were randomized into 2 groups to receive escharectomy within 48 h postburn (group A) or after 48 h postburn (group B). Serum samples were obtained from these patients on 1, 3 and 7 d respectively after burn injury. After the sera were incubated for 24 h with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) cultured in vitro, changes in the permeability of the vascular endothelial cell (EC) monolayer were determined with 99mTc-labelled albumin, and changes of the cell viability also observed. RESULTS: In response to treatment with the sera isolated form the burn patients, the permeability of the endothelial monolayer was lowered in group A as compared with that of group B, but the viability of the ECs improved. CONCLUSION: Escharectomy performed at early stage postburn is effective to counteract endothelial cell damage and thereby may be carried out as a preventive measure against multiple organ dysfunction after burn in jury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns, Nanfang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Qing
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jia-Han
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhou