Burn injury is a traumatic event that significantly challenges cardiovascular homeostasis. To date, research efforts have focused primarily on the acute cardiovascular changes following burn injury. As a result, our understanding of the long term cardiovascular effects of severe burn injury is incomplete. Without a proper understanding of these maladaptations, clinicians are unable to implement proper rehabilitation therapy. The purpose of the proposed project is to identify the consequences of burn injuries on indices of vascular health and provide mechanistic insight into the extent to which severely burned individuals are capable of improving peripheral vascular health through exercise training, a process known as vascular conditioning.
The specific aims for the proposed project are: 1) to test the hypothesis that peripheral vascular health is impaired in burned individuals at least two years after injury, and 2) to test the hypothesis that a six month exercise training program will equally improve peripheral vascular health in burned individuals relative to non-burned individuals. Accomplishing these aims will provide novel information on several fronts. First, this project will provide a more comprehensive representation of the detrimental cardiovascular maladaptation occurring in burned individuals years after injury. Second, by examining vascular health in this population, we can better assess (and potentially treat) the risk for future cardiovascular complications and events. Finally, this proposal will provide further evidence regarding the use of exercise training as an important rehabilitation therapy to improve vascular health in burned individuals.
Each year, approximately 150,000 burn-injured people are treated in emergency rooms across the US, many of which required extended hospitalization. Although much research has focused on short-term responses associated with burn injuries, hundreds of thousands of individuals within the United States endure the long- term consequences of severe burn injuries. This project will investigate whether vascular health is compromised in individuals with well-healed but severe burn injuries and determine if a six month community- based exercise training program is beneficial in improving vascular health in these individuals.
