Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association
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Multicenter Study
Pediatric Contractures in Burn Injury: A Burn Model System National Database Study.
Joint contractures are a major cause of morbidity and functional deficit. The incidence of postburn contractures and their associated risk factors in the pediatric population has not yet been reported. This study examines the incidence and severity of contractures in a large, multicenter, pediatric burn population. ⋯ This is the first study to report the epidemiology of postburn contractures in the pediatric population. Approximately one quarter of children with a major burn injury developed a contracture at hospital discharge, and this could potentially increase as the child grows. Contractures develop despite early therapeutic interventions such as positioning and splinting; therefore, it is essential that we identify novel and more effective prevention strategies.
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Major physiologic alterations following a severe thermal injury disrupt thermal homeostasis and predispose burn patients to hypothermia. An important recommendation in many clinical practice guidelines is to increase the ambient temperature during the care of severely burned patients in the operating room and intensive care unit to mitigate the loss of thermoregulation, prevent hypothermia, and minimize the impact of hypermetabolism. ⋯ This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the pathophysiology and treatment of thermal injury-induced hypermetabolism and hypothermia, with special emphasis on alterations in ambient temperature. Current evidence on the value of increasing ambient temperature during the care of severely burned patients in the operating room or intensive care unit is limited, with minimal human studies investigating physiologic benefit or potential adverse effects.
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Telemedicine has been successfully used in many areas of medicine, including triage and evaluation of the acute burn patient. The utility of telemedicine during the rehabilitative phase of burn care has yet to be evaluated; therefore, we expanded our telemedicine program to link our burn center with a rehabilitation facility. The goal of this project was to demonstrate cost-effective improvements in the transition and quality of care. ⋯ The decrease in travel time for the patient from the rehabilitation hospital to outpatient burn clinic improved adherence to the rehabilitation care plan and resulted in increased throughput at the rehabilitation facility. Videoconferencing between a burn center and rehabilitation hospital streamlined patient care and reduced health care costs, while maintaining quality of care and patient satisfaction. This program has improved inpatient burn rehabilitation by maximizing time spent in therapy and avoiding unnecessary patient travel to offsite appointments.
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Many deep partial thickness burns require more than 3 weeks to heal resulting in disfiguring and dysfunctional scarring. Early excision of the eschar has been shown to improve outcomes in deep burns; however, the optimal timing of the excision remains controversial. We compared wound healing and scarring of deep partial thickness burns that were excised at different time points in a porcine model. ⋯ Scar depth and percentage wound contraction were also similar among the wounds excised at 2, 4, and 7 days (4.4 ± 1.1 mm vs 3.9 ± 1.1 mm vs 4.1 ± 1.2 mm and 52.9 ± 17.9% vs 52.6 ± 15.6% vs 52.5 ± 13.8%, respectively). Timing of eschar excision (at 2, 4, or 7 days) does not affect the rates of re-epithelialization and scarring in a deep partial thickness porcine burn model. Timing of eschar excision may not change outcomes if performed within the first 2 to 7 days after injury.