Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Electricians frequently experience low-voltage electrical accidents. Some such accidents involve long-term negative health consequences. Early identification of victims at risk for long-term injury may improve acute medical treatment and long-term follow-up. This study aimed to determine acute exposure, health effects and treatment associated with general health ≥ 2 years after low-voltage electrical accidents. ⋯ The acute reactions negatively associated with general health ≥ 2 years after low-voltage electrical accidents should alert the clinician in the acute phase after an electrical accident to the risk of developing negative long-term health effects. Future studies should specify long-term health beyond the concept of general health.
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Burns are an important cause of battlefield injury, accounting for 5-20% of the combat injury burden. To date, no report has examined the full range of burns, from mild to severe, resulting from post-9/11 conflicts. The present study leverages the Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database (EMED), a Navy-maintained health database describing all service member medical encounters occurring during deployment, to capture, quantify and characterize burn-injured service members and the injuries they sustained while deployed in support of post-9/11 operations. ⋯ The majority of burns tend to be small in size, with the head and hands most commonly affected. As these areas are often left uncovered by the uniform, prevention measures, particularly improvement in and increased usage of personal protective gear, may help reduce these injuries and their consequences.
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The mainstay of non-invasive scar management, consists of pressure therapy with customized pressure garments often combined with inlays, hydration by means of silicones and/or moisturizers as well as UV protection. It is generally accepted that scar dehydration resulting from impaired barrier function of the stratum corneum and expressed by raised trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) values, can lead to increased fibroblast activity and thereby hypertrophic scar formation. However, we have reached no consensus on exactly what optimal scar hydration is nor on barrier function repair: by means of silicone sheets, liquid silicone gels or moisturizers. Occlusive silicone sheets almost completely prevent TEWL and have been shown to be effective. Nevertheless, many important disadvantages due to excessive occlusion such as difficulties in applying the sheets exceeding 10-12 h, pruritus, irritation, and maceration of the skin are limiting factors for its use. To avoid these complications and to facilitate the application, liquid silicone gels were developed. Despite a reduced occlusion, various studies have shown that the effects are comparable to these of the silicone sheets. However, major limiting factors for general use are the long drying time, the shiny aspect after application, and the high cost especially when used for larger scars. Based on excellent clinical results after using three specific moisturizers for scar treatment in our patients, we wanted to investigate whether these moisturizers induce comparable occlusion and hydration compared to both each other and the widely recognized liquid silicone gels. We wanted to provide a more scientific basis for the kind of moisturizers that can be used as a full-fledged and cost-effective alternative to silicone gel. ⋯ Based on the results of both our previous research and this study it is clearly demonstrated that the occlusive and hydrative effect of fluid silicone gel is inferior to the moisturizers used in our center. Lipikar hydrates well but is less suitable for scar treatment due to the lack of occlusion. A well-balanced occlusion and hydration, in this study only provided by Alhydran and DermaCress, suggests that moisturizers can be used as a scar hydration therapy that replaces silicone products, is more cost-effective and has a more patient-friendly application.
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Burns to one or both hands can impact how a person interacts with the world around them. Research regarding the specific impact of hand burn injuries and the experiences of individuals who have sustained hand burn injuries remains limited. ⋯ The findings of the study suggest that burns recovery could be described in terms of performance rather than impairment and needs to be continuously monitored overtime.
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Pain is a common and often debilitating sequela of burn injury. Burn pain develops following damage to peripheral sensory nerves and the release of inflammatory mediators from injury. Burn pain is complex and can include background and procedural pain that result from the injury itself, wound care, stretching, and surgery. Clinicians and researchers need valid and reliable pain measures to guide screening, treatment, and research protocols. Unlike other conditions, visual analog, or numeric pain rating scale (VAS/NRS) scores that represent mild, moderate, and severe pain among people with burn injury have not been established. The aim of this study was to identify the most suitable average pain intensity rating scores for mild, moderate, and severe pain in adult burn survivors using a PROMIS Pain Interference (PROMIS-PI) short form. ⋯ VAS/NRS scores for pain among adults with burn injury can be categorized as mild (0-2), moderate (3-5), and severe (6-10). These findings advance our understanding regarding the meaning of pain intensity ratings after burn injury, and provide an objective definition for clinical management, quality improvement, and pain research.