Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An analysis of deep vein thrombosis in burn patients (part II): A randomized and controlled study of thrombo-prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin.
Morbidity and mortality from venous thrombo-embolism (VTE) remains a significant problem for trauma and medical patients and there are established guidelines for prophylaxis in these patients. However, the efficacy and safety of VTE prophylaxis in thermally injured patients continue to be elusive as it has never been studied in a prospective, randomized fashion. Selective use of VTE prophylaxis, for high risk patients, is practiced by some burn units even if objective evidence is lacking for majority of risk factors enunciated in burn patients. Differing demographics and wound management techniques are other confounding factors mandating more prospective studies to evaluate the need and role of chemoprophylaxis for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prevention in burn patients. Ours is the first prospective, randomized, controlled study which seeks to identify risk factors for DVT in our patients, and evaluate the role of routine chemoprophylaxis and its complications. ⋯ With a moderate risk of developing DVT (8%) and a complication rate of only 2% with chemoprophylaxis, we feel that routine prophylaxis has the potential to decrease the incidence of VTE, without associated complications, in the moderate to high risk category.
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To characterise children presenting with hot beverage scalds versus scalds caused by starchy water. ⋯ Scald injuries caused by starchy liquids do not appear to cause a more severe injury than hot beverage scalds. There is a different pattern of injury from starchy liquids in older children. Children under three years old are less likely to receive appropriate first aid at the scene.
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Burns amongst children in South Africa are common and usually occur in the immediate home environment. In surveys many parents have requested ongoing educational burn prevention programs. This exploratory thematic parent orientation study assessed the level of parental knowledge on burn prevention strategies in the home. ⋯ Our findings show that people living in environments optimal for burn incidents know relatively little about burn prevention strategies. Future intervention needs to not only target the population's behavior but most importantly needs to promote better education models.