Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Historically, mucormycosis infections have been associated with high mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, associated mortality, and management strategies of mucormycosis in a major burn center. ⋯ Aggressive surgical intervention should be undertaken for invasive mucormycosis; additionally, implementation of standardized protocols for patients with large soft tissue injuries may mitigate mucormycosis superimposition.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Skin stretching for primary closure of acute burn wounds.
In burn care, a well-acknowledged problem is the suboptimal scar outcome from skin grafted burn wounds. With the aim of improving this, we focused on a new technique: excision of the burn wound followed by primary closure, thereby using a skin-stretching device to stretch the adjacent healthy skin. The short- and long-term effect of Skin Stretch was compared to split skin grafting (SSG) in a randomized controlled trial. ⋯ Skin Stretch for primary closure of acute burn wounds is a suitable technique and can be considered for specific circumscript full-thickness burn wounds. However, future research should be performed to provide additional scientific evidence.
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Review
Self-burning - A rare suicide method in Switzerland and other industrialised nations - A review.
News items reporting self-immolation by Tibetans have been on the increase in recent years. After examining the corpse of a Swiss man who had committed suicide by deliberate self-burning, we wondered how often this occurs in Switzerland. The Federal Statistics Office (FSO) does not register self-burning specifically so no official national data on this form of suicide are available. ⋯ Our results showed that, on the whole, personal aspects of self-burning in Switzerland do not differ from those in other industrialised nations. Some data, including religious and sociocultural background, were unfortunately missing - not only from our study but also from the similar ones. In our opinion, the most important prevention strategy is to make healthcare professionals more aware of this rare method of suicide.
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Medical support of military operations involves treatment of massive soft tissue wounds, thermal burns, open fractures, blast injuries and traumatic amputations under conditions that are often austere and far from supply lines. Military hospitals, as recently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, are designed and equipped for stabilization and rapid transfer of injured patients back to their home nation. These austere facilities are often tasked with the emergency or long-term treatment of local populations when injured or burned, further stressing the medical resupply system. ⋯ Compared to conventional burn dressings, they are easier to transport and store, easier to use, and do not need to be changed as frequently, allowing for conservation of nursing resources. In this literature review, the recent military uses of silver-nylon dressings are examined. The stockpiling and use of silver-nylon as a universal military burn and wound dressing is advocated.