Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Those with self-inflicted burns are a small but consistent group among burn patients, with large injuries and conflicting findings regarding their in-hospital mortality. Overall, burn survivors have a shorter life expectancy, as compared with national controls, but long-term mortality after self-inflicted burns is understudied. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate possible differences in long-term mortality among survivors after self-inflicted and accidental burns. ⋯ Long-term risk of mortality after discharge from a burn centre was higher in patients with self-inflicted burns than in patients with accidental burns. The effect was noticeable over the whole study period although it was most pronounced during the first years after discharge.
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Despite extensive prevention programs, burns remain a frequent cause of injury in Switzerland with a known age peak in children. Pediatric burns may cause substantial morbidity, a psyochological burden and therapy related high economic costs. To improve preventive measures, precise knowledge of etiology and treatment of pediatric burns in Switzerland as well as their temporal evolution is indispensable. ⋯ The present data show pediatric burns to remain a major health burden in Switzerland, especially small and medium burns in preschool children. Prevention programs should focus on this age population as well as on scald and flame burns as most common etiologies. The observed decrease in length of stay suggests a major improvement in overall quality of care in pediatric burns and supports centralization of care.
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Despite the medical and surgical improvements of paediatric burn injuries, burn injuries can be a painful and traumatic experience for the child and their family. It is therefore important to explore the experiences of caregivers who support their child throughout the burn journey. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the traumatic nature of paediatric burns on the family from a caregiver's perspective. ⋯ This study has presented the difficulties that children, young people, and their family face throughout a paediatric burn injury, which makes the implementation of timely and effective family centred interventions imperative. Meeting the needs and supporting these families with their mental health throughout this traumatic recovery journey, can ensure positive psychosocial outcomes and adaptive coping strategies are adopted early on.
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Severe burns are painful and dramatic injuries. Studies show that pain is underestimated and often not adequately treated. This study aims to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of hydrogel burn dressing and silver sulfadiazine, which are two agents commonly used in first-aid dressings for burn patients. ⋯ In terms of pain scores, pre-dressing FLACC values were higher in Group B (p = 0.039); post-dressing VAS and FLACC values were significantly lower in group B (p 0.001; p 0.001). In terms of additional analgesia, we found more patients in Group S received analgesics (p 0.001). We believe that its effect on burn wound pain is superior to that of silver sulfadiazine.
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The exponential growth of COVID-19 cases in early 2020 presented a massive challenge for healthcare systems and called for the adaptation of emergency care routines and intensive care capacities. We, therefore, analyzed a possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the general structure and emergency preparedness of burn centers in German-speaking countries through a cross-sectional descriptive survey questionnaire. The survey was conducted for the first time in January 2019 by Al-Shamsi et al. before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ We noticed a pronounced increase in the preparation for a great number of patients in need of intensive care including the enlargement of overall capacity when necessary. We also showed a notable decrease in the specific preparation for burn disasters and also reduced communication with first responders and other burn centers. To what extent these alterations were caused by the impact the pandemic had on healthcare systems could not be determined in this study and should be the subject of future research.