The Journal of burn care & rehabilitation
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Sep 1994
Case ReportsInfluence of head and neck position on endotracheal tube tip position on chest x-ray examination: a potential problem in the infant undergoing intubation.
Complications related to endotracheal tubes are frequent in small children and infants. We report a case of a burned 12-month-old child in whom frequent manipulation of the endotracheal tube was required because of recurrent atelectasis and changing position of the endotracheal tube on chest x-ray film. It was then determined that because of variations in head and neck position while chest x-ray films were obtained, the endotracheal tip changed position in the trachea greater than 2.7 cm (greater than 1 inch), although endotracheal tube position was maintained at the level of the teeth. Airway care and gas exchange were subsequently improved by ensuring that patient care and chest x-ray films were performed with the head and neck in similar (neck slightly flexed, head neutral) position.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Sep 1994
Current trends in the use of allograft skin for patients with burns and reflections on the future of skin banking in the United States.
Cadaveric allograft skin can play a critical role in the care of patients with massive burns. It is difficult, however, to estimate current use and levels of enthusiasm for allograft skin in the United States. We report on a survey of 40 skin banks and 140 United States burn center medical directors as listed in the American Burn Association's Directory of Burn Care Resources for North America 1991-1992. ⋯ Overall, 12% of admitted patients were treated with allograft skin at the responding burn centers. Sixty-nine percent of burn center directors preferred to use fresh skin, although only 47% of skin banks were able to supply fresh cadaver skin. Tabulated survey results and a review and discussion of future directions in skin banking and replacement research are discussed in this paper and were presented to the Tissue Bank Special Interest group at the 1993 American Burn Association annual meeting.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Sep 1994
Simple method of applying pressure to skin grafts of neck with foam dressing and staples.
Pressure applied over a skin graft prevents formation of hematoma and shearing of the graft. Most of the methods used to obtain adequate pressure are often cumbersome to apply and time-consuming. This report describes a quick and simple method for fixing and applying pressure over skin graft with foam dressing and staples.