Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association
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Amputations are common after severe frostbite injuries, often mediated by postinjury arterial thrombosis. Since 1994, the authors have performed angiography to identify perfusion deficits in severely frostbitten digits and treated these lesions with intraarterial infusion of thrombolytic agents, usually combined with papaverine to reduce vasospasm. A retrospective review was performed of patients admitted to the regional burn center with frostbite injury from 1994 to 2007. ⋯ Overall complete digit salvage rate was 68.6%. Angiography after severe frostbite is a sensitive method to detect impaired arterial blood flow and permits catheter-directed treatment with thrombolytic agents. Improved perfusion after such treatment decreases late amputations following frostbite injury.
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The authors have previously described long-term outcomes related to the skin in patients surviving large burns. The objective of this study was to describe the long-term musculoskeletal complications following major burn injury. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study that includes a one-time evaluation of 98 burn survivors (mean age = 47 years; mean TBSA = 57%; and mean time from injury = 17 years), who consented to participate in the study. ⋯ The global (Burn-Specific Health Scale-total) score for the overall sample was 0.78. Subjects with limitation of motion had significant difficulty in areas of mobility, self-care, hand function, and role activities. This study underscores the importance of long-term follow-up care and therapeutic interventions for survivors of major burn injury, as they continue to have significant and persistent burn-related impairments even several years following injury.
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Educational theory highlights the importance of contextualized simulation for effective learning. The authors recently published the concept of "The Burns Suite" (TBS) as a novel tool to advance the delivery of burns education for residents/clinicians. Effectively, TBS represents a low-cost, high-fidelity, portable, immersive simulation environment. ⋯ TBS provides a realistic, novel tool for SBTT, addressing both nontechnical and interprofessional team skills. Recreating clinical challenge is crucial to optimize SBTT. With a better understanding of the theories underpinning simulation and interprofessional education, future simulation scenarios can be designed to provide unique educational experiences whereby team members will learn with and from other specialties and professions in a safe, controlled environment.
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Pressure therapy has been considered standard, first-line intervention for the treatment of hypertrophic scars since its introduction in the 1960s. Although widely used, this scar management technique has historically been based on a wide array of anecdotal evidence as opposed to strong scientific support. Evidence has become more prevalent in recent years, necessitating a synthesis to develop an evidence-based clinical guideline. ⋯ This literature search revealed insufficient evidence addressing the impact of pressure therapy on scar pliability. Among individuals with or at risk to develop active hypertrophic scars, treatment with pressure therapy does improve outcomes, particularly for aesthetic concerns including scar thickness and erythema. Applicability of research to practice: The practical treatment recommendations presented may improve consistency and efficacy of pressure therapy utilization at the point of care.
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Silver-impregnated dressings are increasingly preferred over silver sulfadiazine cream in the management of pediatric burns. An ideal burns dressing would provide a moist, sterile environment, discourage infection, and not require painful dressing changes. This study sought to determine whether silver sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Aquacel Ag, ConvaTec, Greensboro, NC) dressing is a superior treatment to nanocrystalline silver-coated polyethylene (Acticoat, Smith & Nephew, London, United Kingdom) dressing in pediatric patients with partial thickness burns. ⋯ This decrease in frequency of dressing changes and direct manipulation of the wound, which can be distressing or require additional intervention, identified Aquacel Ag as the superior dressing. The majority of partial thickness pediatric burns heal within 10 days; however, a considerable minority requires the wound to be dressed for a longer period of time and/or specialist intervention. To identify these patients, expert review of the wound at 10 days postburn is recommended.