The Journal of burn care & rehabilitation
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Electrical injuries continue to present problems with devastating complications and long-term socioeconomic impact. The purpose of this study is to review one institution's experience with electrical injuries. From 1982 to 2002, there were 700 electric injury admissions. ⋯ Electrical injuries continue to make up an important subgroup of patients admitted to burn centers. High-voltage injuries in particular have far reaching social and economic impact largely because of the patient population at greatest risk, that is, younger men at the height of their earning potential. Injury prevention, although appropriate, remains difficult in this group because of occupation-related risk.
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Sandal is an ancient, primitive heating device that is still in use by both poor and rich people in mountain areas of Middle Asia. Sandal burn injuries are a serious health problem. ⋯ The main goal of this work was to present the most complete information about sandal burns and discuss the most effective methods of treatment for sandal burns. This treatment is used to accelerate the rejection of necrotic tissue, to prepare the wound for early autodermoplastic surgery, to decrease the postburn contractures/deformities, and also to shorten hospital stay for the patients.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Nov 2004
Telemedicine follow-up of burns: lessons learned from the first thousand visits.
Telemedicine is an evolving technology that is used for health education, health care administration, and health care distribution. The potential benefits of telemedicine include a decrease in travel expenses, improved continuity of care, and increased access to specialized consultants, thus meeting the needs of patients, practitioners, and communities. Telemedicine has many evolving applications, including improved access to health care in medically underserved and rural areas. ⋯ Information regarding travel costs and financial data were evaluated from a total of 1000 burn follow-up visits with 294 patients via telemedicine during a 5-year interval. Our results indicate that telemedicine burn visits are a cost-effective clinical alternative for the patient. However, telemedicine can be a financial burden to health care systems and inefficient for health care providers.
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The use of hot tar in industry is widespread, and burns caused by this agent remain a problem. Instead of being classified as chemical injuries, these burns compose a unique class of thermal injury because of the difference of mechanisms of injury and the difficulties in removing the agent from the skin. Tar burns usually are occupational in nature and are observed mostly in male patients. This report presents a female burn case that had occurred after she applied hot tar to her skin for the treatment purposes of pain relief.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Nov 2004
The use of haloperidol and associated complications in the agitated, acutely ill pediatric burn patient.
The use of haloperidol to induce sedation and control agitation in the acutely ill adult patient has been well documented. There are few reports, however, of the use of this neuroleptic agent to control the severe delirium and agitation that may occur in critically ill pediatric patients or acute pediatric patients suffering from burn wounds. ⋯ Of patients given haloperidol, 23% had adverse effects. This result suggests that the use of haloperidol to treat the acutely agitated and delirious pediatric burn patients is fraught with a number of difficulties and is not completely safe and effective.