Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Burn injuries are a significant cause of morbidity. Early enteral nutrition has been shown to improve outcomes, however enteral nutrition is often held for procedures receiving general anesthesia. Limited data is available on uninterrupted perioperative nutrition in pediatric burn patients. ⋯ The metabolic demands of burn patients are above most critically ill patients. To meet these demands, we implemented uninterrupted perioperative feeding. There were no aspiration events. Continuous feeds were an effective means to achieve caloric demands and moderate catabolic injury. We demonstrated safety and efficacy of uninterrupted perioperative feeding of pediatric burn patients.
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Pruritis after burn is one of the most common chronic complaints in burn survivors. Pruritus is often indistinguishable from neuropathic pain. There is a paucity of studies reporting the use of gabapentin and pregabalin to treat both pruritus and neuropathic pain. The purpose of this current study is to explore and document the effect of gabapentin and pregabalin in children and adolescent burn survivors. ⋯ Gabapentin and pregabalin are effective in relieving pruritus and neuropathic pain in most burn survivors. In some instances, these medications can be given together. Few individuals reported side effects.
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Fungal infections remain a major cause of mortality in the burned population. Mafenide acetate/amphotericin B solution (SMAT) has been used topically for prophylaxis and treatment of these infections. Current manufacturer guidelines only guarantee the stability of mafenide solution and amphotericin B at room temperature. Additionally, the recommended maximum storage time for mafenide solution is 48h, leading to significant financial and material loss when unused solutions are discarded. The purpose of this study was to characterize the chemical stability, structure and bioactivity of SMAT stored at 2°C, 25°C, and 40°C for up to 90 days. ⋯ The amphotericin B component of SMAT is degraded within 2days under warm storage. While mafenide was stable over 90 days, the bioactivity of SMAT solution may be lost within 2days as well.
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Albino hairless mouse (AHM) has been used as a biological model in photodermatology. However, the experimental landscape is diverse to follow and need particular attention. ⋯ These conditions produced the same morphological changes in the AHM with a shorter solar exposure time, without immobilizing the animals but using environmental exposure fluences, conforming to 3R (reduction - refinement - replacement) recommendations.
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Deep facial burns leave conspicuous scar to the patients and affect their quality of life. Transparent facemask has been adopted for the prevention and treatment of facial hypertrophic scars for decades. Recently, with the advancement of 3D printing, the transparent facemask could facilitate the fitting of the facial contour. However, the effectiveness of the device and its biomechanical characteristics on pressure management of hypertrophic scar would need more objective evaluation. ⋯ Facemask design and the silicone lining are important to ensure adequate compression pressure of 3D-printed transparent facemask. The intervention using the 3D-printed facemask appeared to show its efficacy to control the thickness and hardness of the facial hypertrophic scars.