Annals of burns and fire disasters
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Sep 2014
Skin graft fixation in severe burns: use of topical negative pressure.
Over the last 50 years, the evolution of burn care has led to a significant decrease in mortality. The biggest impact on survival has been the change in the approach to burn surgery. Early excision and grafting has become a standard of care for the majority of patients with deep burns; the survival of a given patient suffering from major burns is invariably linked to the take rate and survival of skin grafts. ⋯ Thirty-six out of 37 patients, suffering from full thickness burns, were discharged with complete wound closure; only one patient succumbed to their injuries. The overall skin graft take rate was over 95%. In conclusion, we consider that split thickness skin graft fixation by TNP is an efficient method in major burns, notably in areas with irregular wound surfaces or subject to movement (e.g. joint proximity), and is worth considering for the treatment of aged patients.
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Burn injury remains a serious and devastating issue faced by developing countries. It is also true, however, that the developed world still tackles many of the challenges caused by burns. In order to reduce this problem through preventive programs, the characteristics of this type of injury must be studied and well documented in each setting. ⋯ Mean follow-up was 30+/-5 months. The results revealed that burns were most likely to occur during housekeeping. Other high risk groups identified were males, those aged from 25 to 35 years-old, and those with lower socio-economic status.
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Sep 2014
Burn injury in epileptic patients: an experience in a tertiary institute.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence, types and severity of burn injuries, including sites involved, morbidities, operative procedures, and their outcomes, to prevent or reduce the frequency and morbidity of such injuries in epileptic patients. This retrospective study was conducted at our centre between February 2008 and January 2012. The study included 54 patients who sustained burn injuries due to epileptic seizures, accounting for 1.3% of all burn admissions. ⋯ Injuries occurred predominantly in females [42 females, 12 males; F:M=3.5:1]. The study revealed that patients with epilepsy should be categorized as a high risk group considering the sudden and unpredictable attack of epileptic seizures leading to loss of consciousness and accidental burn injuries. Early surgical intervention and targeting of all epileptic patients for education and instituting the specific preventive measures gives good outcomes.
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A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the characteristics and case fatality rate of pediatric burns in Mosul, Iraq. The study group was burn patients aged 14 years and under who were admitted to the Burns Unit in Al-Jamhoori Teaching Hospital from the 1(st) of March 2011 to the 1(st) of March 2012. Of the 459 emergency burn admissions, 209 (45.53%) were pediatric patients up to 14 years of age, with a mean age of 4.73±3.61 years. ⋯ The case fatality rate was high in patients having more than 40% TBSA involvement. Flame burns were significantly more fatal than scalds, with a fatality rate of 35.35% and 12.05% respectively; (p=0.0001). In conclusion, given that most pediatric burn accidents occur at home, burn prevention should be focused on improving living conditions and on providing an educational program for parents.
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Jun 2014
High voltage electrical injury: an 11-year single center epidemiological study.
The aim of our study was to retrospectively evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of patients with high voltage electrical injury from 1999 to 2009. The Clinic of Burns and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty Hospital Brno is located in a region of 2,505,000 inhabitants. In total 13,911 patients (including both children and adults, and outpatients as well as hospitalized patients) were treated at our burn center during the period of study. ⋯ In our study, we were able to define the basic epidemiological parameters in 58 patients with high voltage electrical trauma. We also have to highlight the still disappointingly high number of non-occupational electrical injuries affecting those in the lower age groups, especially children. However, preventive programmes for educating specific risk groups have shown positive results.