Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Hypertrophic scars in burn survivors are a major cause of morbidity but the development of evidence based treatments is hampered by the lack of objective measurements of these scars. The objective of our study is to investigate the most accurate parameters for objective scar assessment and to create a combination score to facilitate the use of a panel of objective scar measurement tools. ⋯ The objective parameters for the DSM II Colormeter, Cutometer and Dermascan high frequency ultrasound were all found to have moderate to strong ROC AUC values and combination of the Cutometer R0 and Dermascan scar thickness and intensity values can be used to create an objective global scar scale that can accurately differentiate patients with hypertrophic burn scarring from non-hypertrophic scars or normal skin.
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Burn injuries are a major cause of mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries, with high rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. The risks may be heightened for persons who present with concomitant use of alcohol and illicit substances, which increase the risk for injury and severely compromise prognosis following injury. ⋯ The findings may be explained by the role of skin as the main barrier against infections and the concurrent increase in risk of infection based on the degree and extent of any damage. The combined presence of both alcohol and drugs may predispose towards more severe burns and greatly compromise liver function with heightened risk for sepsis and death.
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Determining the amount of analgesics required will help burn centers improve their ability to plan for a burn mass casualty incident (BMCI). We sought to quantify the amount of analgesics needed in an inpatient burn population. We hoped that assessing the analgesic use in daily burn care practice will potentially help estimate opioid needs in a burn mass casualty incident (BMCI). ⋯ Our study quantified opioid requirements in an inpatient burn population and identified TBSA (positively) and age (negatively) as significant predictors.