Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Posttraumatic stress and maladjustment among adult burn survivors 1-2 years postburn.
Burn patients were assessed 14-24 months following their injury to estimate the prevalence of chronic posttraumatic stress in the adult burn population in The Netherlands. Among 428 patients, 33 per cent suffered severe posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Burn related health problems and shame were strongly associated with posttraumatic stress. Bootstrapping was used to estimate standardized regression weights in a structural equation model.
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Burn wound infection with Aeromonas hydrophila appears to be very uncommon. This study reports on nine cases of A. hydrophila in burn patients treated over a 21 month period at the New Somerset Hospital Burn Unit. The average age of the patients was 31 years (range 24-60 years) and the average TBSA was 33% (range 16-51%). ⋯ Small, superficial burns which culture A. hydrophila can be treated by topical therapy alone. Large and/or deep burns, require antibiotic therapy and debridement of all necrotic tissue, particularly when myonecrosis is present. The antibiotics of choice are the aminoglycosides or the quinolones.
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Acute bacterial endocarditis (ABE) is a rare but deadly complication following major thermal injury. Typically the presentation is silent, with persistent fever and positive blood cultures being the only consistent findings. Fibrin-platelet vegetations on the valvular endocardium are thought to be seeded during bacteremic episodes. ⋯ Diagnosis is most easily obtained by echocardiography. Treatment usually involves prolonged administration of intravenous antibiotics. In rare circumstances, valvular resection and replacement may be indicated.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Epidemiology and mortality of burns in Tehran, Iran.
In order to assist with the prevention of burn injuries the epidemiology of burns in Tehran was investigated. In a retrospective study, 1239 files of patients who were living in Tehran and were injured between March 1994 and March 1995 were studied. Sixty-three per cent of patients were male and 37 per cent were female (age range, 1 month to 93 years). ⋯ The mortality rate was 51 per cent in males and 69 per cent in females. The mean body surface area burned was higher in females. The mortality rate was higher and the length of hospitalization was shorter in comparison with other studies in other countries.