Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Comparative Study
The role of preliminary hospitals in the management of a mass burn casualty disaster.
The Formosa Fun Coast explosion is an internationally-known event that occurred in Taiwan on June 27th, 2015. The blast involved 495 casualties in total, with 253 patients receiving 2nd degree or deeper burns on greater than 40% of the total body surface area (TBSA). Questions were raised regarding whether these victims were sent to the appropriate hospitals or not. Therefore, we analyzed the effect of the initial admission destination in this study. ⋯ Our preliminary findings suggest that local hospitals are capable of providing high-quality acute care to mass casualty burn victims. Our results suggest that patients with suspected limb ischemia should be rapidly transferred to a regional burn center to ensure optimal care. Systemic pre-planning such as employing telemedicine and personnel collaboration, should be considered by the administration to maximize the function of preliminary hospitals in burn care.
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This study analyses the epidemiological characteristics of bus fires in mainland China over the past 10 years to develop prevention strategies and emergency procedures for such incidence and the resulting casualties. ⋯ This epidemiological study presents characteristic findings related to bus fires in China mainland. The general trend of bus fires showed a gradual increase but with a fluctuation in several years. The regional distribution of bus fires revealed some specific characteristics, and most of bus fires happened in those regions locating in the eastern area of China mainland. The largest number of bus fires were caused by spontaneous combustion. Bus fires caused by arson accounting for only 5% of the total bus fires resulted in the most severe casualties. Most of bus arson occurred in the morning and evening rush hours.
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This study is a follow-on to an intervention project that implemented South African Bureau of Standards approved kerosene stoves and safety education in 150 households of a Johannesburg informal settlement. An investigation conducted 12 months later established that 43 stoves had operational defects, yet 23 households continued using the faulty appliances. This study focuses on (1) the psychological and behavioural factors associated with continued use of faulty stoves by the 23 households, and (2), the specific technical failures of these stoves. ⋯ Four stove malfunctions of minor burn affect were reported in the study. Continued use of the damaged stoves was significantly associated with the time from receipt of the stove to detection of first failure: stoves that failed later on were more significantly likely to remain in use as compared to those that failed sooner. The findings point to the need for strengthening enforcement of appliance standards, public education on kerosene stove use, and structural change for the energy-poor.
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The current study examined occurrence and within-family associations of traumatic stress reactions after child burn injury, while in the same model addressing the role of parents' own symptoms in their reports of child symptoms. ⋯ The current study demonstrates the impact of pediatric burn injury on the family level, and shows simultaneous existence of within-family interrelatedness of traumatic stress and an influence of parents' own symptoms on their perception of child symptoms. Findings highlight the need for trauma symptom screening in all family members and for considering informants' symptoms to understand the child's functioning in particular.
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The purpose of this study was the determination of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and its correlation with basal membrane components laminin-5 and collagen type IV in the blood plasma of burn patients measured with Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging (SPRI) biosensors. ⋯ Current work is the first follow-up study regarding MMP-2 in burns. MMP-2, laminin-5 and collagen type IV levels were elevated early after burn injury in the plasma of studied patients, and were highest 12-16h after the injury. MMP-2, laminin-5 and collagen type IV levels were not proportional to the severity of the burn. We believe in the possibility that the gradual decrease of MMP-2, collagen type IV and laminin-5 concentrations could be connected with the process of healing, but to prove it, more investigation is needed in this area. The SPR imaging biosensor is a good diagnostic tool for determination of MMP-2, laminin-5 and collagen type IV in blood plasma of patients with burns.