Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Comparative Study
Resuscitation fluid volume and abdominal compartment syndrome in patients with major burns.
Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is rarely reported as a complication of severe burn. This study clarified the risk of burned patients with and without ACS, especially regarding the resuscitation fluid volume. Extensively burned patients admitted to our burn unit from January 2003, through to June 2004, were examined. ⋯ In these patients, IAP (49+/-12 cmH2O), PIP (50+/-16 cmH2O), heart rate (115+/-8/min), and PaCO2 (54.6+/-10.1 mmHg) were higher than normal, and their resuscitation volume was 0.40+/-0.11 L/kg. Also, a significant correlation between the IBP, PIP and resuscitation volume was observed. Most patients with severe burns required more than 300 mL/kg of resuscitation fluid for the first 24 h after injury that led to ACS and had higher HR, IBP, PIP and PaCO2 despite arterial pressure showing no significant difference.
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The number of asylum seekers in Ireland has increased dramatically over the last 10 years. Based on our impression that the number of children admitted to our burn unit was disproportionately represented by children of asylum seekers we performed an audit to establish (1) what proportion of admissions are from this subgroup and (2) the characteristics of their burns. All paediatric burn admissions from May 2003 to April 2004 were reviewed. ⋯ With less than 12,000 asylum seekers in the country, they comprise only approximately 0.3% of the population yet they account for 11.4% of the burn patients admitted to our unit, p<0.0001. Children of asylum seekers are over-represented in our series of paediatric admissions for burns and are more likely than Irish children to sustain a burn at a younger age and in the domestic setting. This may indicate an increased risk of injury and warrants further investigation.
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Although many studies have described burn abuse in detail, burns that have occurred as a result of neglect have been studied to a much lesser degree. A retrospective study of 440 hospitalised paediatric burns patients during 2000-2002 inclusive was performed. A multidisciplinary team investigation of suspicious cases was used. ⋯ This study shows that burning by neglect is far more prevalent than abuse. We advocate a multidisciplinary investigation coupled with the use of home assessments to aid diagnosis. It may be possible to target preventative strategies on the children with the above risk factors.
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Stenotrophomonas maltophilia has been increasingly reported as a nosocomial opportunistic pathogen in debilitated patients, including burn patients. There is, however, only one published report in English that discusses S. maltophilia bacteremia in burns. We performed a retrospective chart review and statistical analysis of the incidence, the duration of hospital stays before a diagnosis of bacteremia, antimicrobial susceptibility, prognosis, and mortality risk factors in burn patients. ⋯ The incidence of S. maltophilia bacteremia was higher in hospitalized burn patients than in hospitalized non-burn patients. Different antimicrobial susceptibility patterns may exist, especially in different geographic regions. Awareness of the possibility of infection by this opportunistic pathogen and commencement of adequate antibiotics treatment, especially after 3 weeks of intensive care, should be incorporated into the strategy of treatment in major burn patients.
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To study the mechanism of burn in hospitalized paediatric burn patients in order to develop a focused burn prevention campaign. ⋯ Detailed investigation of burn incidents can reveal repeated mechanisms of injury, which direct the focus of preventive strategies.