Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Observational Study
Inability to determine tissue health is main indication of allograft use in intermediate extent burns.
Cutaneous allograft is commonly used in the early coverage of excised burns when autograft is unavailable. However, allograft is also applied in intermediate-extent burns (25-50%), during cases in which it is possible to autograft. In this population, there is a paucity of data on the indications for allograft use. This study explores the indications for allograft usage in moderate size burns. ⋯ Unlike large body surface area burns, allograft skin use in intermediate-extent injury occurs later in the hospitalization and is driven by the inability to determine wound bed suitability for autograft application. Allograft application can be utilized to test recipient site viability in cases of autograft failure or uncertain depth of excision.
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Comparative Study
Antimicrobial dressings: Comparison of the ability of a panel of dressings to prevent biofilm formation by key burn wound pathogens.
Antimicrobial medicated dressings (AMD) are often used to reduce bacterial infection of burns and other wounds. However, there is limited literature regarding comparative efficacies to inform effective clinical decision making. ⋯ Large variation exists in the ability of AMD to prevent biofilm formation and colonisation of wounds. A standardised in vitro methodology should be developed for external parties to examine and compare the efficacies of commercially available AMDs, along with robust clinical randomised controlled trials. This is essential for informed clinical decision-making and optimal patient management.
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To compare psychological difficulties experienced during the initial acute hospitalization and the last follow up visit for children with electrical injuries (EI) and children without electrical injuries (non-EI). We hypothesized that children with electrical burns would have different psychological outcomes. ⋯ Some differences were evident between the groups immediately after injury; however, long term outcomes were similar.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Post-operative pain control for burn reconstructive surgery in a resource-restricted country with subcutaneous infusion of local anesthetics through a soaker catheter to the surgical site: Preliminary results.
Post-operative pain can significantly affect a patient's ability to recover following surgery. In this study we introduced the concept of post-operative pain evaluation of burn patients as well as a technique for placement and use of subcutaneous catheters for continuous infusion of local anesthetic to provide analgesia following skin harvest from the lateral thigh in a hospital in resource-restricted country--Ukraine. ⋯ Our Ukrainian colleagues now have a method of objective pain assessment and a new technique in pain management. With assessment linked to intervention, improvement in post-operative pain can be expected.
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In this paper an automatic system to diagnose burn depths based on colour digital photographs is presented. ⋯ Results validate the ability of the features extracted from the psychophysical experiment to classify burns into their depths.