Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Tissue expansion is frequently used in reconstructive surgery. Although the surgical procedure is typically considered simple, reported complication rates of tissue expansions exceed 40%. There is little evidence concerning risk factors for complications in tissue expansion in body regions other than breast. The aim was to determine risk factors for complications in non-breast tissue expansion. ⋯ This is the first study revealing female gender and low BMI as risk factors in tissue expander surgery. Thus, careful patient selection is mandatory to avoid complications in tissue expansion. Burn patients do not develop complications more often.
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To inform childhood burn prevention by identifying demographics, clinical features and circumstances of unintentional non-scald burns. ⋯ Parents of toddlers must learn safe storage of hazardous items. Older children should be taught skills in safe cooking and hairstyling device use.
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Current strategies for estimating positive scar volume following burns is limited to employing subjective scar scales. This study assesses the accuracy and reliability of Measurement of Area and Volume Instrument System (MAVIS) III, a portable 3D active stereophotogrammetric imaging system, for non-invasive assessment of hypertrophic scar volume and elucidates factors that leads to inaccurate volume determination. ⋯ This study finds that MAVIS III is accurate in its volumetric measurements and is reliable between users; making it a potential candidate for non-invasive assessment of hypertrophic scars. Further considerations for refining active stereo-photogrammetry and the user interface of the software are also highlighted to allow superior evaluation of scar volume.
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Intravenous colistimethate sodium (CMS) use in burn center patients is increasing due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. However, optimal dosing strategies and factors that may contribute to treatment failure are limited. The purpose of this study was to determine factors that may contribute to treatment failure in colistin-treated burn center patients. ⋯ Clinical success was significantly higher with larger intravenous CMS doses in burn center patients. Higher CMS doses were not found to be associated with increased nephrotoxicity within this patient group.