Mr Orlando Flores¹, Dr. Zephanie Tyack², Dr. Kellie  Stockton³, Dr. Robert Ware⁴, Dr. Jennifer Paratz^1,5

¹Burns, Trauma & Critical Care Research Centre. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, ²Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research, Child Health Research Centre. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, ³Physiotherapy Department, Children’s Health Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, ⁴Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, ⁵Rehabilitation Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Abstract:

Introduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to determine the effectiveness of different modalities of exercise and to evaluate the safety of exercise-based interventions post-burns.

Methods: Six databases were searched from inception to December 2016. Relevant authors, key journals and reference lists of included studies were hand searched. Articles reporting on exercise interventions in patients post-burn, and considering physical, physiological or psychological outcomes were considered. Two authors independently screened 2,253 records with 19 articles meeting inclusion criteria. The quality of the evidence was assessed at the study level and at the outcome level.

Results: There were no significant differences post exercise training in VO2 peak (g=0.99; 95% CI -0.4 to 2.4: p=0.18), resting energy expenditure (g=-0.51; 95% CI -1.99 to 0.97: p=0.5) and muscle strength (g=0.51; 95% CI -0.03 to 1.05: p=0.07) between the groups. Evidence suggested exercise had a beneficial effect on body composition (g=0.59; 95% CI 0.05 to 1.14: p=0.03), need for surgical release of contractures (Risk Ratio=0.34; 95% CI 0.2 to 0.7; p=0.004) and health-related quality of life. However, a lack of evidence existed regarding the safety of exercise training post-burns. Unbiased effect size estimators (pooled Hedges’s g) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated if there were two or more trials with homogenous outcomes.

Conclusions: Limited evidence suggests that exercise has a beneficial effect on physical and physiological outcomes in patients post-burn. Further trials using high quality methodology are required, with focus on reporting of adverse events, health-related quality of life and psychological outcomes.

Biography:

Orlando Flores is a PhD candidate in the last stage of his doctoral research project.
His thesis aimed to understand the role of different interventions in the management of metabolic changes occurring post burn injuries.