Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association
-
Maintaining appropriate sedation and analgesia in pediatric burn patients can be quite challenging and often requires high doses of analgesics and anxiolytics because tolerance quickly develops. Escalating doses of opioids and benzodiazepines provide little additional benefit while increasing the incidence of side effects. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a novel alpha2-adrenergic agonist that provides sedation, anxiolysis, and analgesia with much less respiratory depression than other sedatives. ⋯ With DEX titration, all patients were rated "adequately sedate," even though all were sedation failures with opioids and benzodiazepines. Eleven of 42 patients receiving ventilatory support were extubated while on DEX infusion, and no patient showed evidence of DEX induced respiratory depression. Patient's blood glucose levels averaged 121.2 +/- 8.9 mg/dl while on DEX infusion and 117.1 +/- 12.1 mg/dl while off, a nonsignificant difference.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effects of oxandrolone on outcome measures in the severely burned: a multicenter prospective randomized double-blind trial.
Severe burns induce pathophysiologic problems, among them catabolism of lean mass, leading to protracted hospitalization and prolonged recovery. Oxandrolone is an anabolic agent shown to decrease lean mass catabolism and improve wound healing in the severely burned patients. We enrolled 81 adult subjects with burns 20% to 60% TBSA in a multicenter trial testing the effects of oxandrolone on length of hospital stay. ⋯ We found that length of stay was shorter in the oxandrolone group (31.6 +/- 3.1 days) than placebo (43.3 +/- 5.3 days; P < .05). This difference strengthened when deaths were excluded and hospital stay was indexed to burn size (1.24 +/- 0.15 days/% TBSA burned vs 0.87 +/- 0.05 days/% TBSA burned, P < .05). We conclude that treatment using oxandrolone should be considered for use in the severely burned while hepatic transaminases are monitored.
-
Case Reports
Secondary abdominal compartment syndrome in children with burns and trauma: a potentially lethal complication.
Acute, rapid, and unimpeded increases in intra-abdominal pressure can lead to multiple organ dysfunction defined as the abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). If this develops in the absence of obvious intra-abdominal injury, it has been termed secondary ACS (2 degrees ACS). Massive fluid resuscitation in the presence of large burns or shock can lead to 2 degrees ACS. ⋯ There were two survivors. Secondary ACS may be observed in burnt or traumatized children needing large volume resuscitation. Early recognition of 2 degrees ACS by routine bladder pressure monitoring in this high-risk group of children may result in earlier decompression and a possible decrease in morbidity and mortality.
-
The purpose of this study was to determine infection control procedures most commonly used in burn units in the United States. We used two data collection formats: a brief quantitative survey and a brief qualitative interview. Our response rate was 75% (104/139). ⋯ A broad range of techniques for preventing device- and procedure-related infection also were provided by respondents. Compliance with hand washing on the part of physicians and ancillary staff remains a major challenge. To improve the quality of infection control and reduce variation in practice, we must continue to monitor the types of practices that are delivered, provide feedback to providers on how they care for their patients, where evidence exists disseminate best practices, and build the evidence base through efficacy trials.
-
This retrospective study analyzed risk factors in addition to the demographic and epidemiological features of 813 burn patients who were admitted to the burn units of a University Hospital Network in Turkey during a 6-year period. The study consisted of 436 men (53.6%) and 377 women (46.4%; mean age, 31; range, 0-87 years). The age distribution of the patients peaked at 1 to 6 years and at 35 to 44 years. ⋯ Of the hospitalized patients, 100 (74.6%) underwent autografting, 8 (6.0%) underwent amputation, 113 (84.3%) underwent débridment, and 76 (56.7%) underwent escharotomy. The mortality rate among hospitalized patients was 14.1%. Although this study provides information about the population within close proximity to our burn units, there remains a need for a countrywide database of burn incidents.