Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
Outpatient presentations to burn centers: Data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand outpatient pilot project.
Most studies about burn injury focus on admitted cases. ⋯ Outpatient presentations outnumbered inpatient admissions by 2.2:1. The pattern of outpatient burns presenting to burn centers differed to inpatient admission data, particularly with respect to etiology and burn severity, highlighting the importance of the need for outpatient data to enhance burn injury surveillance and inform prevention.
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Review Case Reports
Percutaneous pigtail catheter in the treatment of pneumothorax in major burns: The best alternative? Case report and review of literature.
Multiple factors place burn patients at a high risk of pneumothorax development. Currently, no specific recommendations for the management of pneumothorax in large total body surface area (TBSA) burn patients exist. ⋯ After the traditional large bore (24 Fr) chest tube failed to resolve the pneumothorax, the pneumothorax was ultimately managed by a percutaneous placed pigtail catheter thoracostomy placement and resulted in its complete resolution. We will review the current recommendations of pneumothorax treatment and will highlight on the use of pigtail catheters in pneumothorax management in burn patients.
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Ischemic optic neuropathy (ION) in the trauma setting is a rare and devastating condition associated with systemic hypotension, massive volume resuscitation, and sepsis. The objective of this case series is to highlight a potential correlation between severe burn and ischemic optic neuropathy. We present three patients with total body surface area (TBSA) thermal injury burns ranging from 57 to 68% treated at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center that developed bilateral ischemic optic neuropathy during their hospital stay. ⋯ Current treatments of ION have not proven to be effective, except for possibly limiting fluid resuscitation. In the few cases of refractory burn shock, the incidence of this condition is unlikely to be readily improved. However, it is important for clinicians to be aware of this devastating complication and consider early ophthalmology involvement in the care of severely burned patients.
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Globally, 300,000 deaths are estimated to occur annually and the incidence is far greater as a large majority of burns are small and go unreported. Ninety-five percent of the global burden of burns is found in low- and middle-income countries; however, there is relatively little in the literature regarding effective primary prevention in these areas. Flame is the most common cause of burn in Madhya Pradesh, the central state of India. The most common demographic among the burn unit inpatient of Choithram hospital Indore, is young women from 21 to 40 years of age, whose burns are primarily caused by kerosene lamps. A non electrical source of illumination is essential for every household in rural areas due to the infrequent and poor power supply. At the baseline, 23 kerosene lamp burns were reported by villagers in the past 5 years among the study population of this pilot project. ⋯ This pilot study highlights the viability of the approach of replacing kerosene lamps as an effective primary prevention strategy for reducing burns in rural areas. However, barriers remain to the wider adoption of these lamps, including accessibility and availability for the populations of rural India.