Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association
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Opioids are the cornerstone of pain treatment in burn patients. Undertreatment of pain has been associated with psychological sequela. However, prescription opioids have been increasingly associated with adverse drug effects. ⋯ Continued opioid therapy is necessary as the patients transition to the out-patient setting. This study identified several areas that could be modified to align with safer opioid prescribing practices, including lowering daily amount of prescribed opioids, prescribing only short-acting opioids, and providing patient opioid education. Future studies should focus on the adverse effects of opioid use in burn patients.
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Patients with significant thermal injury are at a high risk for developing bacterial and fungal infections due to the loss of protective integument and often require lengthy treatment courses with anti-infective agents. Dosing of these agents in the burn population is challenging as these patients experience changes in their physiology around 48 hours postinjury. These changes include increased cardiac output, increased blood flow to the kidneys and liver, and decreased albumin production. ⋯ Currently, there are no guidelines describing the most ideal method of dosing anti-infectives in this population, and most studies that have been published include only a small number of patients. The purpose of this review is to summarize the existing literature regarding the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antibiotics and antifungal agents in the burn population and to provide dosing suggestions whenever possible. Not all antibiotics and antifungal agents have been studied, and further research is needed in this area in order to provide optimal care for patients with thermal injury.
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Adrenal insufficiency (AI), whether etomidate-induced or secondary to critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI), is a common and under appreciated problem in the intensive care unit intensive care unit (ICU). However, AI is often difficult to identify and diagnose in the critically ill. The pathophysiology and ideal management of etomidate-induced AI and CIRCI, especially in burn patients, is unknown. ⋯ Among the critically ill, burn patients are at increased risk for developing adrenal insufficiency and the risk is greatest for elderly patients with large burns and inhalation injury. Both CIRCI and etomidate-induced AI are associated with high morbidity and mortality, therefore avoiding preventable causes of AI, such as choosing alternatives to etomidate for rapid sequence intubation (RSI) in the severely burn injured patient should be encouraged. Further research is indicated to investigate the biological relationship between AI and associated morbidity and mortality, whether etomidate-induced or secondary to critical illness; as well as how best to identify and diagnose patients with suspected adrenal insufficiency in the burn intensive care unit.
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The aim of this study was describe national trends in prevalence, demographics, hospital length of stay (LOS), hospital charges, and mortality for burn patients with and without inhalational injury and to compare to the National Burn Repository. Burns and inhalation injury cause considerable mortality and morbidity in the United States. There remains insufficient reporting of the demographics and outcomes surrounding such injuries. ⋯ Overall, patients who expired from burn injury accrued higher in-hospital charges (median, US$50,690 vs US$17,510). Geographically, California and New Jersey were the states with the highest charges, whereas Vermont and Maryland were states with the lowest charges. The study analysis provides a broad sampling of nationwide demographics, LOS, and in-hospital charges for patients with burns and inhalation injury.
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Unresolved pediatric pain, both acute and chronic, has been associated with negative short- and long-term physical and mental health outcomes. This study sought to determine whether an association existed between self-reported pain coping skills and anxiety levels in a cohort of pediatric burn patients, and whether gender would influence their responses. The sample comprised burn-injured children in attendance at one of three mature burn camp sites. ⋯ These findings suggest that burn-injured children, who employ Internalization as their pain coping strategy, may be more vulnerable to the development of long-term anxiety disorder, which, if left untreated may result in a negative psycho/social outcome. Applicability to Practice: Assessment of in-patient pediatric patients with the Pain Coping Questionnaire may help to identify children who are more likely to experience long-term anxiety. Future studies should seek to confirm these findings and determine whether improved pain management and early treatment of anxiety can help to diminish the long-term implications of unhelpful pain strategies and increased anxiety in burn-injured children.