Burn injuries are increasingly recognized as chronic conditions with enduring physical, psychological and social consequences that extend beyond acute survival. This narrative review synthesizes and interpretatively discusses recent evidence on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adult burn survivors, focusing on recovery patterns following discharge. Persistent physical sequelae—particularly chronic pain, pruritus, contractures and scarring—remain major determinants of reduced HRQoL, mainly mediated by functional limitation and self-perception. Psychological morbidity is common, with high rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly early after injury, although post-traumatic growth may also emerge. Social reintegration, including return to work, is often delayed or incomplete and is influenced by injury severity, mental health status and social support. Recovery trajectories are nonlinear: the greatest improvements occur within the first six months, followed by slower gains up to 18–24 months, after which many patients fail to reach population norms. Pain and psychological symptoms may persist for years. Overall, these findings support a multidisciplinary, longitudinal approach to burn care, emphasizing early risk stratification and rehabilitation to optimize individualized recovery. In this narrative review, we aim to outline the main dimensions of long-term quality of life, with a particular focus on the temporal dynamics of recovery patterns.

Background : Burn injuries are increasingly being recognized as chronic conditions with long-term physical, emotional, and social consequences. As survival after acute burn trauma improves, greater attention has shifted toward health-related quality of life (QoL) in survivors, particularly in regions where data remain limited. Methods: This study included burn survivors treated between January 2022 and December 2023 in the Department of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery of the Emergency Clinical Hospital “Bagdasar-Arseni,” Bucharest, Romania. Patients who survived hospitalization and follow-up were invited to complete a Romanian-adapted version of the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B). Demographic and clinical data were collected from medical records, including burn type, total body surface area (TBSA), burn depth, burn localization, and access to rehabilitation services. Statistical analysis included descriptive methods, chi-square tests, t-tests, Kendall’s tau-b, Cramer’s V, Cronbach’s alpha, and exploratory factor analysis. Results: Thirty-eight patients were included. Most burns were thermal (94.74%), while burns involving <10% TBSA were most frequent (60.53%). Functional outcomes were generally favorable, with most patients reporting no difficulty in basic daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and writing. However, fine motor activities and return to previous work were more frequently affected. Emotional recovery appeared less complete, with persistent mild-to-moderate loneliness, sadness, and emotional distress reported by many participants. Women reported higher levels of loneliness (p = 0.015), while third-degree burns were associated with more frequent depressive symptoms (p = 0.008). Depressive symptoms were also significantly associated with functional limitations (such as getting dressed, p = 0.002) and work impairment (p < 0.001). The adapted functional and emotional subscales showed excellent internal consistency. Conclusions: Post-burn recovery extends beyond physical healing. Although most patients regained functional independence, emotional distress and occupational difficulties often persisted. These findings support the need for multidisciplinary long-term burn care integrating physical rehabilitation, psychological screening, and psychosocial support.

Background: Labial adhesion in adult women is a rare condition characterized by the complete or partial fusion of the labia minora. According to a 2024 literature review, only 112 cases have been documented over a 38-year period. Methods: We performed a retrospective study, analyzing the files of all patients admitted to the Plastic Surgery Department of “Saint John” Hospital in Bucharest, Romania, over the last 12 years for any cases of labial adhesion. From the medical files, we summarized demographic data, clinical presentation, risk factors, comorbidities, surgical findings, outcomes, follow-up and histopathology results. During the investigated period, we identified three patients admitted to our hospital with labial adhesion with ages between 67 and 79 years. All of them had complete labial fusion with symptomatic complications at the time of diagnosis, and all three required surgery. Tissue samples were collected from all selected patients and sent for histopathological examination, which highlighted several different types of changes. All three cases had a follow-up period of one year. Conclusions: Labial coalescence in adult women is a rare condition more commonly associated with the postmenopausal period. All patients presented with complete labial coalescence, making surgical intervention necessary as topical therapy was not an option. Histopathological examination was crucial to confirm the diagnosis. These results provide important clinical insights and contribute to the limited literature on this rare condition.