Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of community-based exercise in children with severe burns: A randomized trial.
To counteract long-lasting muscle break down, muscle weakness, and poor physical fitness resulting from severe burns, we recommend a 12-week in-hospital exercise training rehabilitation program. Unfortunately, this in-hospital training program requires time away from home, family, school or work. This study was undertaken to evaluate an alternative exercise rehabilitation strategy involving a 12-week community-based exercise training rehabilitation program (COMBEX) carried out at or near the patient and caretaker's home. ⋯ Both EX and COMBEX are efficacious in improving lean mass, strength, and cardiopulmonary capacity in severely burned children.
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Ocular and cutaneous disease are common chronic sequelae of Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) and have been well described in the literature. Long-term complications affecting other organ systems have not been so well described. The purpose of this review article is to highlight non-ocular and non-cutaneous chronic complications of SJS/TEN. ⋯ SJS/TEN is a multi-organ disease requiring multidisciplinary care from a variety of specialists. Affected patients have complex hospital stays, and their quality of life may be severely impacted by multiple long-term complications. We believe that preventative care in the acute setting might limit the development and progression of many of the sequelae described above.
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Pressure therapy garments apply pressure to suppress the growth and flatten hypertrophic scars caused by serious burns. The amount of pressure given by the pressure garments is critical to the treatment adherence and outcomes. In the present study, a biomechanical model for simulating the pressure magnitudes and distribution over hand dorsum given by a pressure glove was developed by using finite element method. ⋯ Through validation, the simulated contact pressure showed a good agreement with the experimental interface pressure measurement. The simulation model can be used to predict and visualise the pressure distribution exerted by a pressure therapy glove onto hand dorsum. It can provide information for optimising the material mechanical properties in pressure garment design and development, give a clue to understand the mechanisms of pressure action on hypertrophic scars and ultimately improve the medical functions of pressure garment.
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The individual implications of major burns are likely to affect the full spectrum of patients' physical, emotional, psychological, social, environmental, spiritual and vocational health. Yet, not all of the post-burn health implications are inevitably negative. Utilizing a qualitative approach, this heuristic phenomenological study explores the experiences and perceptions early (ages 18-35) and midlife (ages 36-64) adults providing insight for how participants perceived their burns in relationship to their post-burn health. ⋯ By exploring subjective experiences and perceptions of health shared through dialog with experienced burned persons, there are opportunities to develop a more complete picture of how holistic health may be affected by major burns that in turn could support future long-term rehabilitative trajectories of early and midlife adult burn patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Wound-healing improvement by resurfacing split-thickness skin donor sites with thin split-thickness grafting.
Split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor site dressing has been controversial until now. Our study aimed to assess the patient comfort and wound-healing efficacy with the application of thin split-thickness skin grafts regrafting on STSG donor sites. ⋯ Utilizing thin STSGs regrafting on donor sites could significantly shorten the epithelialization time, reduce pain and prevent hyperplastic scar formulation.