Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Patients with burns commonly present to Emergency Departments (EDs), in addition to burn centers. Patients at burn centers typically have more severe burns than those at EDs, and previous studies have analyzed burn center databases. To update the overall burn epidemiology in the United States (US), we analyzed burn injury trends and sources across all age groups using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), which collects all injuries reported to US EDs. ⋯ The most common injured region was the hand for all age groups (34.44%). Although most burn injuries were potentially preventable, the overall burn rate did not decrease 2000-2018. Therefore, we offer guidance on prevention strategies for high-risk sources and age groups.
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The first states began implementing the Medicaid expansion provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014. Studies have yet to address its impact on burn patients. ⋯ The Medicaid expansion provision of the ACA led to increased Medicaid coverage among burn patients which was significantly higher in areas with widespread implementation of the expansion.
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Child burn injuries in Mongolia are often caused by electric cooking appliances used on the floor or low table in traditional tent-like dwellings (called a ger) which have no separate kitchen. To prevent these injuries, we developed a context-specific kitchen rack to make electric appliances inaccessible to children, and the rack was provided to 50 families with children aged 0-3 years living in gers for a pilot test. In the present study, we investigated their opinions about the rack after they used it for about 10 months through semi-structured interviews, their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the rack using a contingent valuation method, and their preference for potential modifications of the rack using best-worst scaling. ⋯ The highest priority of modifications of the rack was to enclose the lower section of the rack with doors (which was originally open without doors to reduce the production cost). A few families did not use the rack in winter because they used heating stoves instead of electric appliances for cooking, but we found a unanimous view that the rack reduces burn injuries to children, which may be reflected in their increased WTP for the rack. These findings would guide us to make our burn prevention efforts more relevant to real-life situations and socially acceptable in Mongolia.
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Renal failure is the most common organ failure in severely burned patients. However, defining acute kidney injury and renal failure is very challenging. This study was designed to determine the relationship between a biomarker commonly measured on admission, serum creatinine, and outcomes in burn patients. ⋯ Elevated creatinine on admission is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. We suggest that admission creatinine can be used as a "red flag" to identify patients at a higher risk for poor outcomes.
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Burns, an endemic public health problem has had a dynamic epidemiology in India, in sync with economic and social changes. In the last decade a major shift of kitchen fuel usage from kerosene to the Liquefied Petroleum Gas has resulted in an increase in the incidence of burns from LPG mishaps. This prospective descriptive study conducted in a tertiary care burn centre in an urban area aims to determine the causes of LPG related burns, its injury profile, identify the population at risk and also to determine the level of knowledge of users regarding the safety issue with LPG usage. ⋯ Leakage from larger cylinders was more common and malfunction of valve/regulator was the most common cause. Level of knowledge was dismally low across all socioeconomic strata. Our study highlights impact of changing socioeconomic pattern of the country on burns epidemiology and the glaring lack of public awareness regarding safe management principles.