Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Influenza is a serious disease which can be life threatening. Patients with significant burns have reduced physiological reserve and are at risk both of incurring dangerous respiratory complications. In other susceptible patient groups the flu vaccine is used to reduce the risk of flu and lessen its effects. We aim to investigate whether there were any existing local and national trends in the use of flu vaccination in burns patients. Our second objective was to review any current evidence in the literature. ⋯ Through review of the literature on flu vaccination in immunocompromised patients we show how this could be extrapolated to patients with significant burns. We propose a guideline to aid in the decision to prescribe flu vaccine to patients with significant burns taking into account age, % TBSA burn and comorbidity. The decision to recommend the flu vaccine in this group should be considered on an individual basis. However, flu vaccination represents a simple, low-risk measure which could prevent the dangerous complications of influenza in an at risk group.
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Acid attacks, or vitriolage, are defined as violent assaults involving the deliberate throwing of an acid or similarly corrosive substance with the intention to "maim, disfigure, torture or kill" [1]. The Acid Survivors Trust International suggest a prevalence of 1500 attacks reported worldwide per annum, although this is likely to be an underestimate by 40% [2]. The UK is thought to have one of the highest of rates of recorded corrosive attacks, with an increase from 228 attacks in 2012 to 601 in 2016. ⋯ The chemical agents involved include acids, alkalis, oxidising and reducing agents, alkylating and chelating agents and solvents. They cause injury by producing a chemical interaction which can lead to extensive tissue destruction and extreme pain. Herein, we present a review on the changing epidemiology of corrosive attacks in the UK and currently employed management strategies.
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Hypertrophic scars in burn survivors are a major cause of morbidity but the development of evidence based treatments is hampered by the lack of objective measurements of these scars. The objective of our study is to investigate the most accurate parameters for objective scar assessment and to create a combination score to facilitate the use of a panel of objective scar measurement tools. ⋯ The objective parameters for the DSM II Colormeter, Cutometer and Dermascan high frequency ultrasound were all found to have moderate to strong ROC AUC values and combination of the Cutometer R0 and Dermascan scar thickness and intensity values can be used to create an objective global scar scale that can accurately differentiate patients with hypertrophic burn scarring from non-hypertrophic scars or normal skin.
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The objective of this study was to describe and quantify the long-term hospital service use (HSU) after burn injury and associated costs in a population-based cohort of patients with unintentional burns and compare with uninjured people. ⋯ After adjustment for covariates, burn patients experienced greater hospital use for a prolonged period after the initial injury compared with uninjured people. The mean cost per episode of care was generally higher for members of the burn cohort compared to the uninjured cohort indicating either more complicated admissions or admissions for more expensive conditions.