Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the clinical effectiveness of nanocrystalline silver compared to alternative silver delivery systems (silver sulphadiazine [SSD] and silver nitrate) in adults and children with superficial and deep partial thickness burns. ⋯ This comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the available evidence suggest that the use of nanocrystalline silver dressings results in shorter length of stay in hospital, less pain, fewer surgical procedures and reduced infection rates compared to silver sulphadiazine/silver nitrate.
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The aim was to assess demographic and clinical factors associated with inter-facility referrals for patients with burns in a resource-constrained setting. ⋯ Almost three out of four children evaluated at the trauma unit were referred to the burns unit for further management. However, a large number of patients were treated and discharged from the trauma unit despite being eligible for referral.
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Thermal injury to skin and subcutaneous tissue is common in both civilian and combat scenarios. Understanding the change in tissue morphologies and properties and the underlying mechanisms of thermal injury are of vital importance to clinical determination of the degree of burn and treatment approach. This review aims at summarizing the research involving experimental and numerical studies of skin and subcutaneous tissue subjected to thermal injury. ⋯ The first part deals with experimental studies including burn protocols and prevailing imaging approaches. The second part deals with existing numerical models for burns of tissue and related computational simulations. Based on this review, we conclude that though there is literature contributing to the knowledge of the pathology and pathogenesis of tissue burn, there is scant quantitative information regarding changes in tissue properties including mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical properties as a result of burns that are linked to altered tissue morphology.
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This study of burns patients from two eruptions of Merapi volcano, Java, in 1994 and 2010, is the first detailed analysis to be reported of thermal injuries in a large series of hospitalised victims of pyroclastic surges, one of the most devastating phenomena in explosive eruptions. Emergency planners in volcanic crises in populated areas have to integrate the health sector into disaster management and be aware of the nature of the surge impacts and the types of burns victims to be expected in a worst scenario, potentially in numbers and in severity that would overwhelm normal treatment facilities. In our series, 106 patients from the two eruptions were treated in the same major hospital in Yogyakarta and a third of these survived. ⋯ Crucially, 45% of patients were in the 40-79% TBSA range, with most suspected of suffering from inhalation injury, for whom survival was most dependent on the hospital treatment they received. After reviewing the evidence from recent major eruptions and outlining the thermal hazards of surges, we relate the type and severity of the injuries of these patients to the temperatures and dynamics of the pyroclastic surges, as derived from the environmental impacts and associated eruption processes evaluated in our field surveys and interviews conducted by our multi-disciplinary team. Effective warnings, adequate evacuation measures, and political will are all essential in volcanic crises in populated areas to prevent future catastrophes on this scale.