Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Burn injuries are common afflictions; however, conservative wound care frequently leads to poor treatment compliance and physical disability in deep burn patients. Therefore, regenerative biologic materials, which are more effective for tissue repair, are required, particularly for deep second-degree burns. A novel spray formulation of basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF) was produced by synthesizing fibroblast growth factor proteins. In this post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study, we assessed the safety and efficacy of bFGF and indirectly compared this formulation with cultured epidermal autografts (CEAs) for treating deep second-degree burns. ⋯ Our study demonstrated that bFGF is a compelling regenerative therapy with competitive clinical efficacy and safety for deep second-degree burns and reduced treatment time, which is expected to reduce medical costs, particularly for deep second-degree burn patients.
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Multicenter Study
Real-time burn depth assessment using artificial networks: a large-scale, multicentre study.
Early judgment of the depth of burns is very important for the accurate formulation of treatment plans. In medical imaging the application of Artificial Intelligence has the potential for serving as a very experienced assistant to improve early clinical diagnosis. Due to lack of large volume of a particular feature, there has been almost no progress in burn field. ⋯ The actual healing time can be used to deduce the depth of burn involvement. The artificial burn depth recognition model can accurately infer healing time and burn depth of the patient, which is expected to be used for auxiliary diagnosis improvement.
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Administration of appropriate first aid immediately after a burn injury is crucial to averting further harm to the victim, physically and psychologically. The aim of this review is to enable the design of better interventions by describing what is known about prehospital care of burn victims in Africa. ⋯ Appropriate prehospital care for burn injury generally is not practiced in Africa. Yet best practices for prehospital care are affordable, available, and easily understood. The greatest risk factor for poor care is first responders' lack of knowledge. Awareness and education campaigns focusing on the lay public, as well as educational institutions for health workers, are urgently needed throughout the continent.
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Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a major challenge in burn research and care. We aimed to describe the epidemiology and timeline of HAIs and to estimate the association of demographics and clinical characteristics with time to HAI among burn patients. ⋯ These data have implications toward generating empirical antibiotic guidelines and preventive strategies targeting the patients at highest risk for HAI.
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Burn injury is a significant contributor to mortality, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Patients in many communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa use traditional health practitioners for burn care prior to seeking evaluation at an allopathic burn center. The World Health Organization defines a traditional health practitioner as "a person who is recognized by the community where he or she lives as someone competent to provide health care by using plant, animal and mineral substances and other methods based on social, cultural and religious practices based on indigenous knowledge and belief system." The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of prior traditional health practitioner treatment and assess its effect on burn injury mortality. ⋯ The use of traditional health practitioners prior to presentation at a tertiary burn center is associated with an increased odds of mortality after burn injury. These effects may be independent of the potential harms associated with a delay in definitive care. Further work is needed to delineate strategies for integrating with local customs and building improved networks for burn care, especially in rural areas.