The Journal of burn care & rehabilitation
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Between July 1, 1984, and December 31, 1991, 27 consecutive patients required admission to the Grady Memorial Hospital Burn Unit for care of hot tar burns. This group represented 1.4% of all admissions to this burn unit. Injuries occurred at the workplace and occurred mostly during the summer. ⋯ The survival rate was 92.6%. Both of the patients who died had large burns and/or preexisting medical problems. Hot tar burns occur under predictable circumstances, appear to be preventable, and have accounted for only a small fraction of all admissions to this burn unit.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Jul 1994
Investigation of the presence and role of calmodulin and other mitogens in human burn blister fluid.
It is unclear whether burn blister fluid is beneficial or deleterious to the healing of the underlying wound. We investigated the calcium binding protein calmodulin in human burn blister fluid and its role in the mitogenicity of this fluid in the culture of human keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. Calmodulin levels in blister fluid were three times greater than in serum (p < 0.005), whereas epidermal growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.001). ⋯ Inhibiting calmodulin with either an antagonist or antibody to calmodulin reduced the mitogenic activity of blister fluid in three cell types by 26% to 80%. These in vitro studies suggest that burn blister fluid may promote wound healing, and locally released calmodulin contributes to this effect. In appropriate cases it may be beneficial to leave burn blisters intact.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Jul 1994
Comparative StudyA biochemical and histologic rationale for the treatment of hydrofluoric acid burns with calcium gluconate.
Hydrofluoric acid has unique properties that make it attractive for a variety of industrial and household uses. Exposure to dilute and concentrated solutions of hydrofluoric acid can lead to severe pain and tissue necrosis. Local treatment with topical calcium gluconate and subdermal injections of 0.5 ml 10% solution of calcium gluconate per cm2 of affected tissue has been advocated but frequently fails to relieve the patient of pain. ⋯ The purpose of this study was to show what, if any, were the microscopic effects on the distal arterial tree of intraarterial infusion of calcium gluconate. By studying 1 micron-thick cuts of distal rat aortas after proximal infusion of concentrated (10%) and dilute (2%) calcium gluconate, we were able to show that the incidence of microperforations in the intima and media of the rat aorta increased with the concentration of calcium gluconate. We conclude that intraarterial infusions should be reserved for only the most severe cases of hydrofluoric acid burns unresponsive to local therapy.