Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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A numerical-based model was developed and implemented to determine the spatial and temporal temperature distributions within skin tissue resulting from thermal contact with a heated and high thermal conductivity metallic medium. In the presence of wet tissue, boiling is likely to occur, thereby affecting the probability of inducing burns. This investigation deals with how contact between a hot, highly conductive metallic material and skin gives rise to burns. ⋯ Multiple processes and their governing parameters were investigated to assess their impact on burn severity, including the temperature of the metal, the duration of contact, the contact resistance between the surface and the skin, the temperature range over which phase change occurred, and the cooling environment after the exposure. It was discovered that the most important parameters are the surface temperature and exposure duration. The other conditions/parameters had lesser impacts on the results.
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Pediatric burns are preventable with legislative and infrastructural changes. Although retrospective audits of many low- and middle-income countries have aided preventative efforts, the epidemiological status of burns in the Caribbean is not known. This study characterizes pediatric burns in the Dominican Republic (DR) and compares these to age-matched North American records captured by the National Burn Repository. ⋯ This investigation identifies a demographical profile where electrical burns account for a significant percentage of the burn population. This provides a basis for concentrating preventative efforts in vulnerable populations.
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Burn injuries to workers can have a devastating impact, however knowledge of the epidemiology of work-related burn injuries in Australia and New Zealand is limited. ⋯ Almost one in five cases of working-aged people admitted to Australian and New Zealand burns centres was work-related. Through identification of vulnerable groups, this study informs policy and strategies to minimise occupational burn risk.
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As a result of the Spanish healthcare system overhaul, quality of care is becoming increasingly important. All burn service providers are required to measure patient satisfaction with care as an imperative need. Nevertheless, there are very few papers regarding patient satisfaction in burn units or in plastic surgery in general. The aim of this study is to examine patient satisfaction in our burn unit and to identify areas for improvement. ⋯ Patients hospitalised in our burn unit are highly satisfied with the care they receive, especially with regard to subjective quality. The evaluation of the satisfaction outcomes helped us to identify several strengths and weaknesses in the healthcare services we provide as well as strategies to improve the weaknesses. Evaluating care quality and patient satisfaction in any burn unit is appropriate and recommendable given that it offers clients' first-hand opinions.
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Pressure therapy has been widely used in clinical practice for the prevention or treatment of hypertrophic scars resulted from aberrations in wound healing. However, the precise molecular mechanisms of this process are only partially understood. In the present study, we established a Bama minipig model to observe the effect of pressure intervention on wound healing and scar formation. ⋯ Interestingly, the trend in MEK/ERK protein expression was opposite to that indicated by q-PCR analysis. Furthermore, collagen I and III mRNA clearly declined after one month pressure treatment. Taken together, these results indicated that pressure intervention alleviated scar formation may via inhibiting the IGF-1/IGF-1R signaling pathway and collagen expression in the Bama minipig model.