Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Reliability and validity of 3D photography (3D LifeViz™ System) compared to digital planimetry (Visitrak™) has been established in a compliant cohort of children with acute burns. Further research is required to investigate these assessment tools in children representative of the general pediatric burns population, specifically children under the age of three years. ⋯ This study has confirmed 3D photography as a reliable alternative to digital planimetry in children of all ages with acute burns ≤10% TBSA. In addition, 3D photography is more suitable for very young children given its non-invasive nature.
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This study assessed whether photographs of burns on patients with dark-skin types could be used for accurate diagnosing and if the accuracy was affected by physicians' clinical background or case characteristics. ⋯ Size and depth of burns on patients with dark-skin types could be assessed at least as well using photographs as at bedside with 67.5% and 66.0% average accuracy rates. Case characteristics significantly affected the accuracy for burn size, but medical specialty and country of practice seldom did in a statistically significant manner.
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The long-term outcome after infant burn was queried 5-9 years after the initial accident. All participants had been treated for burn in Children's Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, before the age of 1 year. We hypothesized that the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young burn survivors may be impaired compared to healthy age matched peers. ⋯ Comparison of the 17D profiles of the patients having been treated as inpatients or outpatients showed that those treated on an outpatient basis had better scores on the dimensions of speech, breathing, and friends (p<0.05). The 17D profiles of patients with scalds or contact burns were similar. The perceived and expressed long-term HRQoL in the burned children was good, and on some dimensions (sleeping, learning, discomfort and symptoms, breathing, depression, and appearance) even better, than that of the control population.
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Each year more than 5000 children present to English and Welsh hospitals for the management of scalds; 60% of these are small scalds of less than 10% body surface area. There are no agreed UK care pathways for this injury. One method of management is to use a biosynthetic wound dressing after thorough wound cleaning. In children, this usually utilises general anaesthesia. This study investigates the incidence of adverse events during anaesthesia for the application of biosynthetic dressings in children with small-area scalds. ⋯ The use of general anaesthesia in this setting for the application of biosynthetic dressings in children with small-area scalds has a low incidence of anaesthesia-related complications with no associated long-term sequelae. This incidence is similar to that quoted for adverse events related to anaesthesia for other procedures and is lower than that reported for procedures using sedation.
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Stimulation of α1-adrenoceptors evokes inflammatory cytokine production, boosts neurogenic inflammation and pain, and influences cellular migration and proliferation. As expression of α1-adrenoceptors increases on dermal nerves and keratinocytes after peripheral nerve injury, the aim of this study was to determine whether another form of tissue injury (a cutaneous burn) triggered a similar response. In particular, changes in expression of α1-adrenoceptors were investigated on dermal nerve fibres, keratinocytes and fibroblast-like cells using immunohistochemistry 2-12 weeks after a full thickness burn in Wistar rats. ⋯ In contrast, α1-adrenoceptor labelled cells and staining intensity in the upper dermis decreased contralateral to the burn, as did nerve fibre density in the deep dermis. These findings suggest that inflammatory mediators and/or growth factors at the site of a burn trigger the synthesis of α1-adrenoceptors on resident epidermal cells and nerve fibres, and an influx of α1-adrenoceptor labelled cells. The heightened expression of α1-adrenoceptors in injured tissue could shape inflammatory and wound healing responses.