Annals of burns and fire disasters
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Mar 2010
Pre-expanded Extended Island Parascapular Flap for Reconstruction of Post-burn Neck Contracture.
Background. Since it was described by Nassif et al. in 1982, the parascapular flap has been used as a pedicled or island flap for axillary contractures and as a free flap for neck reconstruction. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports in English describing its use as an island flap for neck reconstruction. ⋯ The utilization of pre-expanded extended island parascapular flap is an effective way for reconstruction of post-burn neck contracture. It provides a large good-quality skin flap that can cover all the aesthetic units of the neck without any microvascular anastomosis. However, the protracted time required for the procedure and the requirement of two operations, plus the repeated follow-up visits, may constitute major disadvantages.
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Dec 2009
Initial release of severe post-burn contracture scar of the neck for intubation under ketamine.
Background. Severe anterior post-burn contracture (PBC) of the neck poses the anaesthesiologist some difficult problems and results in difficult intubation when extension of the atlanto-occipital joint is impaired. Such patients must therefore have the PBC scar released before other procedures are performed, in order to ensure airway control. ⋯ Results. Twelve patients with severe neck PBC (3 males, 9 females; age range, 7-37 yr; mean age, 20 yr) all had successful OTI after PBC release under intravenous ketamine. None showed any complications attributed to the anaesthesia.
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Background. Geriatric patients, usually defined as being 65 years of age or over, now make up about 10% of the major burn population. Main aim. ⋯ Conclusion. Large burn size was the strongest predictor of mortality among elderly burn patients, followed by the presence of inhalation injury. This study showed that burn patients aged 65 years and over can achieve a good outcome.
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Jun 2009
Mass Burns Disaster in Abule-egba, Lagos, Nigeria from a Petroleum Pipeline Explosion Fire.
The aim of this paper is to review the basic principles of triage in mass burns disasters and discuss the experience of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Nigeria, in the December 2006 disaster at Abule-Egba, Lagos, Nigeria. It is hoped that the experience gained will help in the planning for and management of similar disasters in the developing countries with limited facilities. Burn injury has been described as the severest form of trauma and its management is very challenging as it is often accompanied by numerous pathophysiological changes. ⋯ The mortality rate for the ruptured petroleum product pipeline incident was 84.16%; the fatality rate for all patients seen at LASUTH was 32.22%. The need for caution in the handling of petroleum products is discussed and the effectiveness of the triage system used is highlighted. In conclusion, burns from flammable petroleum products can be very dangerous and proper triage should therefore be carried out, with salvageable patients being managed by experts in dedicated burns centres.
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Ann Burns Fire Disasters · Jun 2009
A Comparative Study of the Wound Healing Properties of Moist Exposed Burn Ointment (MEBO) and Silver Sulphadiazine.
Burns expose the deeper tissues of the skin or body to invasive microbes. Topical preparations for treating burn wounds, to be useful, should ideally have antibiotic power and promote healing. Silver compounds have been the mainstay of topical burn treatment for decades. ⋯ Wound healing was at an advanced stage by day 8 in all the animals. Clinical and histological examination showed that the two agents gave the animals comparable protection and healing possibilities. It is concluded that MEBO is a suitable and efficacious alternative to conventional silver-based topical therapies for treating partial-thickness burn wounds.