Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Comparative Study
Prospective comparative evaluation study of Laser Doppler Imaging and thermal imaging in the assessment of burn depth.
The accurate assessment of burn depth is challenging but crucial for surgical excision and tissue preservation. Laser Doppler Imaging (LDI) has gained increasing acceptance as a tool to aid depth assessment but its adoption is hampered by high costs, long scan times and limited portability. Thermal imaging is touted as a suitable alternative however few comparison studies have been done. ⋯ LDI outperforms thermal imaging in terms of diagnostic accuracy of burn depth likely due to the susceptibility of thermal imaging to environmental factors.
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Around 10%-20% of burned patients have inhalation injuries, and the severity of these injuries is correlated with mortality. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is an important tool for the early diagnosis of inhalation injury. This study investigated correlations between the severity of inhalation injury and outcomes of patients involved in a cornstarch dust explosion in northern Taiwan in 2015. ⋯ Although the explosion resulted in a high rate of inhalation injuries in critically ill patients, there was no significant correlation between mortality and the severity of the inhalation injuries.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Massage has no observable effect on distress in children with burns: A randomized, observer-blinded trial.
In a previous observational study we found that massage therapy reduced anxiety and stress in pediatric burn patients. We aimed to test this effect in a randomized controlled trial. ⋯ Massage therapy with or without essential oil was not effective in reducing distress behavior or heart rate in hospitalized children with burns. Evaluating the effectiveness of massage in terms of relaxation proved difficult in young children.
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This study developed a predictive model for fires and burns among parents and children in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Eight risk factors for pediatric burns with census tract level data available were identified. Risk factors were synthesized to develop a cartographic model with risk levels low, medium, high, and severe. ⋯ Risk was correlated with fire incidence rate (ρ=0.67, p<0.001). Significant risk factors were race (β=0.54, p<0.001), education (β=0.38, p<0.001), and year home built (β=-0.17, p=0.005). Cartographic modeling is a underutilized tool to identify at-risk areas.