Annals of burns and fire disasters
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Mar 2015
Major burn injuries associated with Christmas celebrations: a 41-year experience from Switzerland.
In Switzerland it is customary to light candles on Christmas trees and advent wreaths. This tradition leads to an increased risk of home fires. We reviewed the records of patients who sustained burn injuries from a lit Christmas tree or advent wreath during the Christmas holidays between January 1971 and January 2012. ⋯ More than sixty percent of the fires occurred in January and the most severe accidents were seen after January 4th. Despite Christmas decoration-associated fires being relatively uncommon, they tend to cause more serious injuries than regular household fires. We recommend that in countries where it is customary to set up flammable Christmas decorations, state-issued information pamphlets with instructions on fire safety conduct should be distributed.
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Mar 2015
The clinical efficacy of Diphoterine® in the management of cutaneous chemical burns: a 2-year evaluation study.
Diphoterine(®) is an amphoteric irrigating agent for the treatment of chemical burns and rapidly neutralises both acids and alkalis faster than water alone. Diphoterine(®) is widely used as a first aid agent in a wide range of industries globally. This is a retrospective review of the clinical use of Diphoterine(®) on chemical burns in an adult tertiary referral burn centre, often with a delay of several hours after the injury. patients admitted with chemical burns within 24 hours of the incident with an abnormal wound pH or in pain, were treated with Diphoterine(®) spray. ⋯ Alkaline burns were the commonest (55%). patients who received Diphoterine(®) were significantly younger (38 vs 43 years; p=0.05) and presented earlier (0.5 vs 2.55 days; p=0.004). There was a significant change in the wound pH pre- and post-application of Diphoterine(®), compared to patients who were treated with water irrigation only, with a pH change of 1.076 vs 0.4 (p <0.05). There was no significant difference in the time to healing, the length of hospital stay, or need for surgery. in conclusion, based on our retrospective cohort, Diphoterine(®) could be a valuable tool for use in hospital settings to neutralise both alkaline and acid burns.