Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Posttraumatic growth after burn is a relatively new area of study with only a small number of studies that have examined this phenomenon. It is important to understand the presentation of posttraumatic growth and coping in burn survivors, how it changes over time and the components which influence growth so that we can understand how to promote posttraumatic growth in burn survivors. The aim of this review was to assess these three parameters. ⋯ Suddenness of the event, and the severity and location of injury might affect the amount of growth experienced. Overall function, quality of life, social support and optimism, hope and new opportunities are influences on growth after burn, all of which have the potential for improvement through targeted intervention strategies. Further research is indicated in many areas related to growth, intervention and measurement.
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Comparative Study
A prospective intra-individual evaluation of silk combared to Biobrane for the treatment of superficial burns of the hand and face.
An ever-increasing number of commercially available dressings have been applied to treat superficial burns with the aim to reduce pain and inflammation and lead to a fast wound healing and scar reduction. Nevertheless the search for cheap and effective wound dressing proceeds. Dressilk(®) consisting of silkworm silk showed good results for wound healing in regards to scarring, biocompatibility and reduction of inflammation and pain. Therefore it seemed to be an interesting product for the treatment of superficial burns. ⋯ The "ideal" wound dressing maximizes patients' comfort while reducing pain and promoting wound healing. Dressilk(®) and Biobrane(®) both provided an effective and safe healing environment, showing low overall complication rates with respect to infection and exudation on superficial burns of the hand and face. Therefore Dressilk(®), being clearly superior to Biobrane(®) in cost efficiency is an interesting alternative especially for the treatment of superficial burns of faces.
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While the most obvious impact of burn is on the skin, systemic responses also occur after burn, including intestinal inflammation. The objective of this study was to assess if burns are associated with increased long-term admissions for gastrointestinal diseases. ⋯ Findings of increased hospital admission rates and prolonged length of hospital stay for gastrointestinal diseases in the burn cohort provide evidence to support that burns have effects that persist long after the initial injury.
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The introduction of ablative fractional CO2lasers (CO2-AFL) for burn scar management shows promising results. Whilst recent studies have focused on objective scar outcomes following CO2-AFL treatment, to date no data on patient subjective factors such as quality of life are available. ⋯ Our preliminary results confirm significant improvement in thickness, texture, colour, and symptoms following treatment with CO2-AFL. Foremost, quality of life of patients with both immature and mature scars (up to 23 years after injury) improved significantly after just one treatment session. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document such holistic treatment effects in burn patients treated by CO2-AFL.
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Paediatric burns make up a significant proportion of burn injured patients seen within the hospital setting and worldwide account for a significant proportion of unintentional deaths. Currently there is limited data on severe paediatric burns requiring intensive care support. Our study aimed primarily to describe the epidemiology of severe burns admitted to the intensive care unit at our centre receiving fluid resuscitation over a 10 year period. ⋯ Referrals to our centre increased from 261 in 2003 to 366 in 2013, however admission rates declined from 145 to 85 during that time period. Currently there is limited data on severe burns within the paediatric population. Our study provides epidemiological data in this area, an important step for developing future prevention strategies.