Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association
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In 2006, New South Wales (NSW) state legislation changed from requiring smoke alarms in new houses only to all houses. We evaluated the impact of this legislative change on residential fire injury and smoke alarm ownership characteristics. Residential fire injuries for 2002 to 2010 were identified from hospitalization data for all hospitals in NSW. ⋯ Broadening the scope of state legislation has had a positive impact on residential fire-related hospitalizations and smoke alarm ownership. However, it is of concern that the legislation has been the least effective in increasing smoke alarm ownership among non-English-speaking households, in households where smoking is allowed, in low socioeconomic households, and that a high proportion of householders do not test their smoke alarms regularly. Targeted campaigns are needed to reach these high-risk groups and to ensure that smoke alarms are functional.
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Although data exist on burn survival, there are little data on long-term burn recovery. Patient-centered health outcomes are useful in monitoring and predicting recovery and evaluating treatments. An outcome questionnaire for young adult burn survivors was developed and tested. ⋯ Recovery curves in five domains, Itch, Perceived Appearance, Social Function Limited by Appearance, Family Concern, and Satisfaction with Symptom Relief, remained below the reference group at 24 months. The Young Adult Burn Outcome Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for multidimensional functional outcomes assessment. Recovery in some domains was incomplete.
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The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using serial bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) to characterize the course of cell damage and inflammation in the airways of pediatric patients with acute burn or inhalation injury. This was a prospective, longitudinal, descriptive pilot study conducted at the Burn and Pediatric Intensive Care Units in a tertiary care medical center. Six consecutively intubated and mechanically ventilated pediatric patients with acute inhalational injuries were studied. ⋯ Procedures were well tolerated. In children with acute burn and inhalational injury, airway cellular damage and inflammation (reflected in high BALF DNA levels) appear to peak during the first 72 hours after burn or inhalation injury followed by a slow decline. Serial analysis of factors in airway secretions is feasible and has the potential to reveal important pathophyisiologic pathways and therapeutic targets for the treatment of acute inhalational injuries.
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This study examined the prevalence and correlates of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in the parents of very young children who sustained a minor to moderate size burn injury. Although prior research has explored this relationship in families of children with major burns, only minimal research has focused on children with minor to moderate injuries. Forty-five parents of young children (<6 years) with a burn injury (mean TBSA = 2.67%, SD = 2.40) completed questionnaires regarding PTSS and demographics at an outpatient burn clinic. ⋯ The amount of distress was related to the age of the child at burn, child PTSS, and the source of burn. Variables such as size of burn, days spent as inpatient, or parental presence at the time of burn were not found to be related to parental distress. PTSS assessment should be made mandatory for all parents of young children experiencing a burn injury, regardless of size and severity of burn or parental presence at the time of burn.
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The contact thermal injury model in the pig was used to determine whether immediate burn excision could alter the extent of injury progression. It was hypothesized that immediate excision of burns would prevent or reduce tissue necrosis in the uninjured interspaces. Four comb burns were created on the back of each animal, using a brass comb preheated in hot water (100 °C) for 5 minutes. ⋯ However, interspaces of the control excisional wounds maintained complete viability, that is, no necrosis or apoptosis (0/24 [0%]; 95% confidence interval, 0-14%; P < .001). There was no significant difference in both surface area and depth of scar resulting from excised and nonexcised comb burns. Immediate burn excision neither prevented nor limited burn injury progression.