Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
-
Psychosocial risk and protective factors specific to acute burn patients have been shown to impact on longer-term health outcomes. Yet the nature and impact of such factors throughout the acute hospital admission phase have not been extensively examined to date. This study analysed the psychosocial pre-admission, hospitalisation and discharge factors for a sample of burn patients at an Australian specialist acute burns unit (The Alfred) and the relationship with their admission length. ⋯ A diversity of psychosocial factors was identified, highlighting the clinical complexity of this patient group. Given three domains of admission-related psychosocial factors were predictive of the length of patient stay, more targeted psychosocial interventions in these areas may ensure patients and their families are supported more effectively throughout an admission, and length of stay costs may also be reduced.
-
The purpose of this study was to examine risk factors for mortality in burned patients with inhalation injury (II). We further sought to compare a cohort of burned military service members to civilian patients with II. ⋯ II(+) patients were older, had larger burns, needed more ICU and hospital days, and had higher mortality rates. Among II(+) patients, military affiliation was associated with more severe II and increased mortality. Establishment of an objective grading system for II that is associated with mortality is a meaningful future research endeavor.
-
Detailed quantitative analysis of results, influence of position within logistic systems and consequence of dangerous goods ammonia has been done based on a sample of 1165 workers or third persons involved in 295 accidents. Results of accidents for those involved have been classified as unhospitalized, hospitalized survived, hospitalized deceased and killed. From the logistic point of view accidents with ammonia are located in production, storage, reloading, transport and use subsystems. ammonia's consequences are systematized in the following manner: Respiratory-Toxic (RT), Cold Injury (CI), Fire and Burns (FB), and mechanical consequences after explosions (EX). ⋯ Cold Injury by ammonia in 47.5% of accidents includes 65.23% of persons involved in accident, but the most invasive consequence of ammonia is RT. Significantly critical fatal outcomes of accidents has been found for Respiratory-Toxic consequence of ammonia in the reloading subsystem, with extremely high average value of 0.4193 killed per accident. Based on obtained results of research certain procedures are proposed to reduce the risk of serious consequences of ammonia's dangerous influence.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Lidocaine infusion has a 25% opioid-sparing effect on background pain after burns: A prospective, randomised, double-blind, controlled trial.
The pain of a burn mainly results from the inflammatory cascade that is induced by the injured tissue, and is classified as background, breakthrough, procedural and postoperative pain. High doses of opioids are usually needed to treat background pain, so its management includes a combination of types of analgesia to reduce the side effects. Lidocaine given intravenously has been shown in two small, uncontrolled studies to have an appreciable effect on pain after burns. ⋯ An intravenous infusion of lidocaine was safe and had an opioid-sparing effect when treating background pain in burns.