Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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To investigate the geographic distribution and temporal trends of burn admissions in an Australian setting. ⋯ The Mid-West and Wheatbelt rural regions were found to have the highest risk of burn admissions raising concerns about farming-related injury. Safety awareness and burn prevention strategies need to be continued, with specific attention to these high risk areas, to reduce burn admissions in Western Australia.
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Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a life-threatening infection requiring extensive debridement that may necessitate amputation. Free tissue transfer (FTT) is an option for reconstruction in difficult cases. Currently, only case reports have described FTT in the setting of NF, and comprehensive evidence on flap outcomes is lacking. The present study characterizes outcomes in patients with FTT following NF. ⋯ This study demonstrates that FTT provides a promising reconstructive option in the setting of NF without adversely affecting patient outcome.
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Observational Study
Procalcitonin for the early diagnosis of sepsis in burn patients: A retrospective study.
The gold standard for sepsis diagnosis in burn patient still relies on microbiological cultures, which take 48-72h to provide results, delaying the start of antimicrobial therapy. Thus, biomarkers allowing an earlier sepsis diagnosis in burn patients are needed. ⋯ Procalcitonin showed to be the best of the biomarkers studied for an early diagnosis of sepsis. Its use should be considered in antimicrobial stewardship programs in Burn Units.
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This study assessed patient-perceived levels of scar assessment and burn-specific quality of life (QOL) in Korean burn patients admitted to burn care centers and identified differences in scar assessment and QOL based on various patient characteristics. ⋯ The results show that burn subjects experience the most difficulties with their work and the treatment regimen. Subjects with severe burn and visible scarring have a reduced QOL and a poor scar status. Scar management intervention may improve QOL of burn patients especially those with severe burn and visible scars. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the relationship between scar assessment and QOL.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical complications in severely burned patients associated with high morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of severity of AKI at the time of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) start on patient outcome and to identify the prognostic factors in severely burned patients with CRRT application. ⋯ The severity of the AKI at the time of CRRT start did not have significant relationship with patient outcome. CRRT can be applied to minimize the complication of AKI including electrolyte imbalance and volume overload. Because only the presence of sepsis was independently associated with mortality, treatment for sepsis should be focused to improve the survival of the severely burned patients with CRRT.