Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Mass casualty incidents involving victims with severe burns pose difficult and unique problems for both rescue teams and hospitals. This paper presents an analysis of the published reports with the aim of proposing a rational model for burn rescue and hospital referral for Switzerland. ⋯ Disaster preparedness plans involving burn specialists dispatched from a referral burn center can upgrade and significantly improve prehospital rescue outcome, initial resuscitation care and help prevent an overload to hospital surge capacities in case of multiple burn victims. This is the rationale behind the ongoing development and implementation of the Swiss burn plan.
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The virtues of silver as an antimicrobial agent have been known for some time. Various silver containing dressings are currently used for the treatment of wounds. Introduced in the late 1990s, Acticoat is a nanocrystalline silver dressing developed to overcome some shortcomings of the older dressings by providing sustained release of silver up to 7 days. ⋯ Other studies suggest Acticoat has fewer adverse effects and reduces healing times. Its ease of application and low frequency of change makes it an ideal dressing in burn wounds. More well designed and properly reported randomised controlled trials are essential for informed clinical decision-making.
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Glycerol-preserved skin allograft (GPA) plays a crucial role in the management of burns. Its indications include wound-bed preparation, definitive dressing and sandwich grafting technique. ⋯ The selective and strategic use of the GPA in major burn patients ensures optimal benefits in the management of burns. It is versatile in various categories of burn wounds with minimal morbidity.
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The Chinese peasants in the middle of Anhui Province and north of Dabieshan Mountain are accustomed to using industrial alcohol to kindle honeycomb briquettes in their household coal stoves. Pouring alcohol into the stove often results in flame burns when the honeycomb briquettes inside are not completely extinguished. The purpose of this study is to describe the unique cause and clinical characteristics of this type of injury. ⋯ Burns caused by alcohol-based fires in household coal stoves is a common thermal injury in the middle of Anhui Province in China with characteristic clinical presentation and calls for preventive educational intervention.