The alexander surgical technique for the treatment of severe burns

• Published in: Annals of burns and fire disasters Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 281 - 285
• Main Authors: Gasperoni, M, Neri, R, Carboni, A, Purpura, V, Morselli, P G, Melandri, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Italy Euro-Mediterranean Council for Burns and Fire Disasters - MBC 31-12-2016
• Subjects: Alexander technique; homologous skin; skin graft; burn treatment
• ISSN: 1592-9558; 1592-9566

The extensive loss of skin in burned patients is a critical clinical condition, and the choice of an effective technique to cover and protect the damaged area has always been a challenge in the surgical field. Despite its wide clinical use, there is little data in the literature on using the Alexander technique to treat severe burns, while several studies have focused on alternative approaches. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alexander surgical technique on 117 patients with severe burns. The characteristics of the burned patients, factors related to etiology of burns as well as adverse prognostic factors and their incidence in discharged versus deceased patients were also taken into account. Finally, a comparison is made with an alternative surgical procedure described in the literature. Our results show a satisfactory level of survival for patients with severe burns surgically treated with the Alexander technique, accounting for 63% of all clinical cases reported here. This treatment is also less expensive and more rapid than the alternative approach we compared it with. The Alexander technique is a lifesaving method for the treatment of severe burns that provides a satisfactory chance of survival at lower cost than the alternative surgical procedure examined.