Infectious complications of burns in the intensive care unit
Authors' conclusion
Infectious complications remain a leading determinant of outcome following severe burn injury.
Study context
- Population
- Critically ill burn patients in the intensive care unit (ICU)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Infection susceptibility after major burns is multifactorial: loss of cutaneous barrier, hyperinflammation followed by immune paralysis, burn-induced hypermetabolism
- Distinguishing colonisation from invasive infection is a diagnostic challenge; modalities include quantitative tissue cultures, biomarkers, multiplex molecular assays and next-generation sequencing
- Management emphasises early surgical source control, pharmacokinetically optimised antimicrobial therapy, antimicrobial stewardship and rigorous infection prevention and control
- Emerging adjunctive therapies: bacteriophage therapy, nanotechnology-based antimicrobials, microbiome-directed interventions, immunomodulatory approaches
Original publication
Infectious complications of burns in the intensive care unit. J Crit Care. Published 19 March 2026. doi:10.
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