Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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The aim of this study was to characterize the epidemiology of pediatric and adolescent burns admitted to the Children's Burns Unit at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria, between January 1st 1988 and December 31st 2012. ⋯ The study provides a good opportunity to review changes in burn care over a long time period, at a single center, including children and adolescents, with stable surgical and rehabilitation staff. The data is also important for the design of prevention programs and establishment of burn care capacities, since the analysis showed no change in the incidence of burn related admissions over the time period studied.
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Skin grafting is standard of care for severe burn and trauma patients. Graft sites are often accompanied with more pain than the burn sites. To minimize graft site areas, excess skin remaining after harvesting, is stored in saline at 4°C to be used for transplantation up to 1 week later. ⋯ Capability to proliferate (BrdU incorporation) did not differ between media, up to 7 days. Histologically, the number of apoptotic cells increased in time but differences between media were not noted. Based on these results, RPMI would be an improvement over saline in retaining viability of skin grafts during storage, and possibly in improved take rate.
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Wound pH affects a number of important factors in wound healing. It is known that the pH of the skin surface of healthy adults and children is 4.2-5.6 and that it decreases with the lapse of epithelialization. We measured the pH of the exudates from second degree burns in 26 cases. ⋯ By consecutive measurement of pH, early detection of local wound infection can be achieved and this is very beneficial in clinical practice. Moreover, measurement is very easy and results are available immediately. In conclusion, consecutive pH measurement of exudates is considered to be a useful indicator in the treatment of second degree burns.
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We have developed a novel software application that provides a simple and interactive Lund-Browder diagram for automatic calculation of total body surface area (TBSA) burned, fluid formula recommendations, and serial wound photography on a smart device platform. The software was developed for the iPad (Apple, Cupertino, CA) smart device platforms. Ten burns ranging from 5 to 95% TBSA were computer generated on a patient care simulator using Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Adobe, San Jose, CA). ⋯ On average, Peregrine allowed users to calculate burn size significantly faster than the paper form (58.18 [31.46] vs. 90.22 [60.60]s, p<0.001, n=7). The smart device application also provided 5 megapixel photography capabilities, and acute burn resuscitation fluid calculator. We developed an innovative smart device application that enables accurate and rapid burn size assessment to be cost-effective and widely accessible.
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Hot water bottles are frequently used in the community as a source of warmth, and to alleviate a number of medical symptoms. In Australia it is believed that over 500,000 water bottles are sold annually (Whittam et al., 2010). This simple treatment is known to result in significant burns and has led to mandatory labeling requirements on hot water bottles in Australia. Despite this, few published studies have documented the incidence and nature of burns sustained through their use. This study aimed to assess the incidence, causation and outcome of hot water bottle burns presenting to a major burn trauma unit in Sydney (Australia). ⋯ Hot water bottles are a source of common and preventable burns in the community, with women being more at risk than men. Hot water bottles may retain harmful levels of heat over an extended period of time. Additional labeling requirements pertaining to the longevity of hot water bottles and their use among people especially at risk of burns (i.e. children, the elderly, patients who have undergone recent surgery and/or those with conditions associated with sensory impairment) may further reduce the incidence and severity of hot water bottle burns in the community.