The Journal of burn care & rehabilitation
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A burn injury may occur as an unexpected consequence of medical treatment. We examined the burn prevention implications of injuries received in a medical treatment facility or as a direct result of medical care. The records of 4510 consecutive admissions to 1 burn center between January 1978 and July 1997 were retrospectively reviewed. ⋯ Continued tobacco use may represent a contraindication to home oxygen therapy. Given the lack of proof of efficacy combined with the potential for burn injury, the use of vaporizers to treat upper respiratory symptoms should be discouraged. Patients with diminished sensation or altered mental status are at increased risk of burn injury from bathing or topical heat application and merit closer monitoring during these activities.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · May 2000
Case ReportsBiodebridement: a case report of maggot therapy for limb salvage after fourth-degree burns.
The wound healing and antimicrobial properties of maggots are well known. Maggot debridement therapy has been used for the treatment of various conditions. For maggot debridement therapy, the larvae of the blowfly are applied over necrotic or nonhealing wounds. We used maggot debridement therapy with the larvae of Phaenicia sericata for limb salvage after bilateral lower extremity fourth-degree burns.
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Body image is a far-reaching, multidimensional, dynamic concept. Because burn injuries threaten the integrity of both the physical and psychologic identity, body-image issues related to burn injuries appear to be a meaningful area of investigation. ⋯ We reviewed the general findings that body-image adaptation occurs and is influenced by gender, social support, burn severity, overall adjustment, and developmental stage. It is suggested that body-image revision, if it occurs, is largely successful, but body-image issues may not be directly related to psychosocial adjustment after a burn injury.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Mar 2000
Comparative StudyA biopsy of the use of the Baxter formula to resuscitate burns or do we do it like Charlie did it?
The Baxter formula is commonly used to calculate fluid requirements. Baxter reported that 12% of patients would require more than 4.3 mL/kg per percentage of total body surface area (%TBSA). We anecdotally observed that we frequently exceeded the predictions of the formula, and we wondered if this was unique to our practice. ⋯ These findings suggest that in actual practice, fluid volumes administered are larger than the Baxter formula predicts. This survey does not explain why. Possible reasons for the larger fluid volumes are as follows: (1) the sample is not representative; (2) the formula is used improperly; (3) burns have changed and require more fluids; (4) burn care has changed.