Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Observational Study
Perioperative Research into Memory (PRiMe): Cognitive impairment following a severe burn injury and critical care admission, part 1.
An investigation into long-term cognitive impairment and Quality of Life (QoL) after severe burns. ⋯ Severe burns injuries are associated with a significant, global, cognitive deficit. Patients also report worse QoL, depression and post-traumatic stress. Perceived QoL from cognitive impairment was more closely associated with depression than cognitive impairment.
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Comparative Study
Mortality risk factors in war-related pediatric burns: A comparative study among two distinct populations.
Previously, the majority of wars were fought on remote battlefields between opposing armies due to conflicts preventing civilians from sustaining war-related burn injuries (WRBI). In recent years, WRBI has had a tremendous harmful impact on the pediatric population. This study aimed to investigate the demographics, causes, mechanisms of burns, surgical procedures, the major and minor risk factors affecting mortality, and outcomes of pediatric WRBI amidst the Syrian refugees and the Turkey neighborhood population, treated at our Burn Center. ⋯ Our analysis showed that flame/fire and blast burns were severe and fatal in more pediatric Syrian victims than the Turkey residents due to the severity of war inflicted burned wounds, the living conditions at the refugee camps, and the tent cities. Our present study is significant as our data would alert authorities to predict pediatric WRBI risk factors, burn survivals and casualties, and thus plan strategies to promote training programs for burn management of two distinct populations to reduce risk factors of burn mortality. Burnt surface area (BuSA) is a new parameter we derived to predict mortality risk factors in WRBI.
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Extensive hot water burns (HWB) are common at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH). The majority are caused by kettle scalds. These burn injuries usually affect toddlers living in poor socio-economic circumstances. The majority of these injuries are preventable. ⋯ The Kettle Strap is an acceptable, affordable device to improve kettle safety in the home.
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Cultured keratinocytes play important roles in burn wound healing and scientific research studies. We aimed to modify the isolation method to avoid over-digestion, maximize the number of isolated epidermal cells and establish a more efficient and innocuous way of cell isolation. Compared to the conventional method, the modified method combines the more dynamic process of enzymatic digestion with multiple harvestings of dissociated cells via digestion. ⋯ The number of viable cells isolated per gram of adult foreskin epidermis was (18.88±13.22)×106 cells in the control group and (67.34±30.66)×106 cells in the modified group (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed in the proportion of CD49f-positive cells between the two groups (p>0.05). The modified method was significantly more efficient in dissociating keratinocytes from each unit of skin biopsy, which is particularly important for treating severe burns when donor skin is limited.
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Patient satisfaction after fractional ablation of burn scar with 2940nm wavelength Erbium-Yag laser.
Fractional laser therapy is a new treatment with potential benefit in the treatment of burn scars. We sought to determine patient satisfaction after burn scar treatment with the Erbium-Yag laser. ⋯ Burn patients treated with the Erbium-Yag laser are highly satisfied with changes in their burn scars.