BIPPS (Burn Injury Persistent Pain Study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What Factors are Predictive of Persistent Pain following Full Thickness and Deep Dermal Burn Injury? A Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
165236
Contact name
Jessica Bisset
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
A feasibility study is proposed which will seek to determine whether retained samples of burn injured skin, debrided (surgically removed) prior to skin graft, can be used to assess tissue pathology.
The feasibility study establishes the ability of the team to collect, store, transport, and process these skin samples, which would usually be discarded, to determine innervation density, presence or absence of immune cells and changes in Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) expression in the injured skin.
These measures of tissue pathology will be related to clinical data from donor patients, such as pain, itch, scar formation and analgesia use, to evaluate whether there are correlations between injury pathology and clinical outcomes in these patients.
Patients who undergo surgical debridement of burn injured skin experience different clinical outcomes with regards to pain, analgesia requirements, scar formation and in their self reports of pain and discomfort in the injured area. Some develop pain that persists even once the tissue has healed. often, this pain cannot be treated adequately.
Our ultimate aim is to establish a framework in which to run a full study of persistent pain and itch following burn injury requiring skin graft. This study will use sensory testing, questionnaires, tissue pathology and clinical data to assess the incidence of persistent of nerve damage-related pain and itch in patients undergoing skin graft following burn injury. It would also determine whether any clinical features or differences in tissue pathology can distinguish patients who will go on to experience persistent, intractable pain and itch following burn injury and skin graft.
This study can improve clinical outcomes by identifying factors that put patients who have experienced burns such burns, and are at risk of persistent pain and itch. This will enable better management by identifying those likely to require analgesia to be tailored to their persistent pain.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
15/WA/0025
Date of REC Opinion
26 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion