Impact of COVID-19 infection on clinical outcomes of adult burn patients: A retrospective observational cohort study in Iran

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the significance of burn injuries as a critical public health challenge, demanding the exploration of effective strategies for prevention and care, particularly for individuals with burns. This retrospective observational cohort study aimed to analyze the characteristics of adult burn patients admitted to three reference centers in Iran from October 2020 to October 2023. The study focused on patients and burn wound characteristics, complications and morbidities, and treatment plans. Among the 382 patients aged 20 to 84, our findings suggested that being male decreased the likelihood of COVID-19 infection by about 77 %. Thermal burns accounted for 50.2 % of COVID-19-positive patients and 49.8 % of COVID-19-negative patients. Notably, the risk of COVID-19 infection increased with higher degrees of burn (p = 0.006) in both groups. Among the complications, pneumonia (p = 0.003) and paralytic ileus (p = 0.015) were significantly more common in COVID-19-positive patients. Additionally, COVID-19-positive patients underwent more frequent interventions such as skin grafting (p = 0.035) and surgical debridement (p = 0.030). These findings emphasize the importance of a carefully planned and proactive multidisciplinary management strategy to ensure optimal care for burn patients.