Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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The basis for qualitative changes concerning everyday clinical practice are created from epidemiological studies, which not only generalize situations but at the same time provide specific details of the country's features; especially during periods of social transition. The aim of this study was to present demographic and epidemiological features of severe burns treated in the Service of Burns in UHC (University Hospital Center) in Albania and to analyze burn mortality as an important outcome measure. ⋯ The long-term studies and the comparison of our results with the ones of other burn centers has allowed us to determine the actual level of care and as well as to build up contemporary protocols in order to improve the treatment with the objection of decreasing the mortality.
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Pain continues to be an ongoing issue of concern in adult burn patients. Inadequate pain assessment hinders meaningful research, and prevents the optimal management of burn pain. The objective of this study was to examine the content of existing research in burn pain with the frequency and context of pain assessment tool use in randomized clinical trials in order to further inform their use for future researchers and clinicians. ⋯ The review highlights the lack of consistency of pain assessment tool use in randomized clinical trials with respect to managing burn pain. We recommend a broader but consistent use of multidimensional pain assessment tools for researchers undertaking clinical trials in this field. The review supports the need for an international expert consensus to identify the necessary critical outcomes and domains for clinicians and researchers undertaking further research into burn pain.
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Inhalation injuries contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in both children and adults with burns. Pneumonia is a major compromising factor in these patients. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the characteristics, impact factors, incidence, morbidity, and mortality of pneumonia in inhalation injuries. ⋯ Each impact factor was given one point and when the score ≥2 it means patients have high risk of development of pneumonia. This study had identified the significant risk factors for potential development of pneumonia in a group of inhalation injury patients. The impact of these risk factors should be validated in further prospective trials to improve outcome or at least reduce the incidence of the surrogate diagnosis of pneumonia.
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Pain is a major problem after burns and researchers continue to report that pain from burns remains undertreated. The inadequate pain control results in adverse sequalae physically and psychologically in the burn victims. A better understanding of a burn patient's experience is important in identifying the factors responsible for undertreated pain and establishing effective pain management guidelines or recommendation in the practice of pain relief for burn injuries. ⋯ Three themes were indentified: (1) patients' experience of pain control, (2) patients' perception on burn pain management, and (3) patients' expectation of burn pain management. Findings from this study suggested that patients experience uncontrolled pain both physically and psychologically which may serve as an alert for awareness of health professionals to recognize and establish a multidisciplinary pain management team for burn victims, including surgeons, critical care specialists, anesthesiologists, nurses, psychologists, and social workers to accomplish safe and effective strategies for pain control to reach an optimal level of pain management in burn patients. It also provides insights and suggestions for future research directions to address this significant clinical problem.
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To examine the effect of inpatient rehabilitation therapy on range of motion, hand function and balance in the burn population. ⋯ Specific functional measures, range of motion, hand function and balance, demonstrate significant improvement during inpatient rehabilitation. Future work is needed to investigate other functional benefits of rehabilitation and to compare the impact of inpatient rehabilitation to other therapeutic interventions.