Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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The aim of this study was to develop a clinical prediction model to inform decisions about the timing of extubation in burn patients who have passed a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT). Rapid shallow breathing index, voluntary cough peak flow (CPF) and endotracheal secretions were measured after each patient had passed a SBT and just prior to extubation. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to identify variables that predict extubation outcome. ⋯ Patients with CPF ≤60 L/min are 9 times as likely to fail extubation as those with CPF >60 L/min (risk ratio=9.1). Patients with abundant endotracheal secretions are 8 times as likely to fail extubation compared to those with no, mild and moderate endotracheal secretions (risk ratio=8). Our clinical prediction model combining CPF and endotracheal secretions has strong predictive capacity for extubation outcome (area under receiver operating characteristic curve=0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.99) and therefore may be useful to predict which patients will succeed or fail extubation after passing a SBT.
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Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is reduced after a burn, and is affected by coexisting conditions. The aims of the investigation were to examine and describe effects of coexisting disease on HRQoL, and to quantify the proportion of burned people whose HRQoL was below that of a reference group matched for age, gender, and coexisting conditions. ⋯ Poor HRQoL was recorded for only a small number of patients, and the decline were mostly in the mental dimensions when compared with a group adjusted for age, gender, and coexisting conditions. Factors other than the burn itself, such as mainly unemployment and pre-existing disease, were most important for the long term HRQoL experience in these patients.
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Scalds and contact burns in children may occur as the result of spillage of hot food and drinks, including instant hot noodles. This study sought to determine the frequency of noodle burns in children and investigate the thermal properties of instant hot noodles. ⋯ Although relatively uncommon in children, instant hot noodle burns often received inadequate first aid. When cooked according to manufacturer's instructions, noodles generally exceeded temperatures sufficient to cause a burn. Consumers and parents need to be aware of the risks of burn when preparing these foods.
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Routine nursing activities such as dressing/bed changes increase bacterial dispersal from burns patients, potentially contaminating healthcare workers (HCW) carrying out these tasks. HCW thus become vectors for transmission of nosocomial infection between patients. The suspected relationship between %total body surface area (%TBSA) of burn and levels of bacterial release has never been fully established. ⋯ Contamination doubled with every 6-9% TBSA increase in burn size. Burn size was used to create a model to predict bacterial contamination received by a HCW carrying out bed/dressing changes. This may help with the creation of burn-specific guidelines on protective clothing worn by HCW caring for burns patients.