Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Burn injury during pregnancy is known to have adverse effects on fetal and maternal survival. Any hope of reducing the high mortality lies in identifying the risk factors responsible for the poor maternal and fetal outcome. A prospective study cohort of 50 pregnant burned patients, a comparison cohort of 50 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies and another comparison cohort of 50 non-pregnant burned females were followed up for fetal and maternal survival or death at the Government Medical College & Hospital, Nagpur, India. ⋯ Pregnancy did not alter the maternal survival. Adequate shock management and early excision with grafting could reduce the mortality figures. Prevention of injury during pregnancy still appears to be the best option.
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A survey of the analgesia regimens used in burns units throughout the UK was performed. Continuous intravenous opiate infusions remain the mainstay for providing pain relief in patients in severe pain as a result of burn injuries. Other methods include: patient-controlled analgesia in appropriate patients, bolus doses of opiates combined with Entonox for control of peaks of pain and a wide variety of oral analgesics for less painful burn injuries.
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From 1980 to 1989, 45 patients with clothing burn injuries were admitted into the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria. Children aged 15 years and below numbered 30 and adults aged 16 years and above totalled 15. There was a female preponderance in the ratio of 1.8:1. ⋯ The involvement of women and children especially those below the age of 5 years is noteworthy. Eighty per cent of the patients had a major injury with a total mortality of 42 per cent. The improvement in the economic standard of the populace shown by the improvement in cooking methods, the proper use of gas cookers and kerosene lanterns, the avoidance of bedside fires during the night, the guarded use of loose indigenous garments, and the use of nursery schools for the care of children below 5 years of age will help to lower the incidence of clothing burn injuries in our environment.
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A 10-year retrospective survey of a total of 234 adult admissions to the Yorkshire Regional Burns unit during a period from March 1983 to March 1993 was carried out. Among these, 20 patients had self-inflicted burns, three were males and 17 were females. ⋯ All the six Caucasian patients had a past history of psychiatric illness. The use of a flammable liquid seemed the most common mode of attempting suicide by burning.