The Journal of burn care & rehabilitation
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Jul 2004
Case ReportsEarly-onset unilateral electric cataract: a rare clinical entity.
Electrical injury may result in cataracts, which usually occur bilaterally. In this report, we present a rare complication of such an injury presenting as a unilateral cataract in a 33-year-old woman with a painless but gradual worsening of vision in her left eye 3 weeks after sustaining a high-voltage electrical injury. ⋯ Electrical injuries may result in the formation of a unilateral cataract and therefore an ophthalmic examination should be performed regularly in the early recovery period of such injuries. Cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation results in an excellent return of vision in patients with electrical cataract who do not have any other ocular damage.
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Although rare, burns suffered by neonates can be fatal. Many complex difficulties are faced during the management of burns in neonates because of the neonate's complex physiological and pathological changes. We compiled a retrospective review from the treatment of four burned neonates (including a premature neonate). ⋯ All the patients were treated in the Burn Intensive Care Unit with close co-operation of burn surgeons and neonatologists. Based on our experience as well as a review of literature, management recommendations are proposed as the following: 1) prompt and aggressive fluid resuscitation, 2) early administration of oxygen and keeping the patient warm, 3) application of specific biological dressing and recombinant human growth hormone if necessary, 4) establishment of a multidisciplinary team, and 5) removal of necrosis tissue early and aggressively. Furthermore, a very important issue is also discussed, which is about the prevention of newborn burns in the neonate unit in developing countries.
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Our objective was to compile data on the mechanism and severity of injuries associated with hot beverage burns in children. We identified 152 children over a 3-year period who attended a tertiary level burns center, representing 18% of all children treated. Their median age was 17.5 months and median body surface area burned was 4% (range, 0.25% to 32%). ⋯ In 80% of incidents, a primary care giver witnessed the injury. These findings indicate that scalding from hot beverages carries significant morbidity and is an important pediatric public health issue. It is clear that further research towards effective education programs for primary caregivers is warranted.
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This case series presents our experience with burns sustained while manufacturing illegal drugs. All adult burn admissions in an 18-month period were retrospectively reviewed. All patients suspected of sustaining burns from illegal drug manufacture were contacted. ⋯ Dishonest patient histories negatively influence burn management. A high level of suspicion is required for diagnosing and treating burns from illegal drug manufacture. Public education is unlikely to be effective as the financial rewards outweigh the perceived risks.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · May 2004
Personality characteristics and perceived health problems after burn injury.
The relationship between personality traits and the perceived outcome of burn injury 1 to 18 years (mean, 9.2 years) after severe burn injury was evaluated in 166 individuals treated at the Uppsala Burn Unit. The perceived outcome was measured with the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B) and was related to personality traits evaluated by means of the Swedish universities Scales of Personality. ⋯ The neurotic traits Somatic trait anxiety, Psychic trait anxiety, Stress susceptibility, Embitterment, and Mistrust each or in different combinations explained the observed relationships. The data suggest that personality is related to health status because it is perceived a long time after severe burn injury and that its effect is not confined only to psychological but also to physical aspects of life.