Ablative Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser Surgery Improves Sleep Disorder in Pediatric Patients With Hypertrophic Scars

Hypertrophic scarring from burns can lead to sleep disturbances in children and significantly impact their quality of life and that of their caregivers. This study investigated the sleep quality of 9 pediatric patients with hypertrophic scars who underwent ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser (CO2-AFL) surgery. Electrocardiography was recorded before the first CO2-AFL treatment and after the final treatment. Cardiopulmonary coupling software was used to automatically generate sleep reports, including total time in bed, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency time, deep sleep time, light sleep time, rapid eye movement sleep time, wake time, and apnea-hypopnea index. This study found that pediatric patients with hypertrophic scars commonly experience sleep disorders, and CO2-AFL surgery could improve sleep quality, including sleep efficiency, deep sleep duration, awakening time, and apnea-hypopnea index. This study provides preliminary objective evidence that CO₂-AFL treatment is associated with improvements in sleep quality parameters in pediatric patients with hypertrophic scars.