Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Burn patients have prolonged derangements in metabolic, endocrine, cardiac and psychosocial systems, potentially impacting on their cardiovascular health. There are no studies on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after-burn. The aim of our study was to record lipid values and evaluate CVD risk in adult burn survivors. ⋯ Adult burn survivors had alterations in lipid profile proportional to TBSA, which could be modified by exercise, and no increase in overall formally predicted CVD risk in this cross sectional study.
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Severe frostbite can result in devastating injuries leading to significant morbidity and loss of function from distal extremity amputation. The modern day management approach to frostbite injuries is evolving from a historically very conservative approach to the increasingly reported use of early interventional angiography and fibrinolysis with tPA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of our frostbite treatment protocol introduced 3 years ago. ⋯ Prompt referral to a facility where interventional radiology and 24/7 laboratory services are available, and the combined use of tPA and iloprost, may improve outcome after severe frostbite.
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Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the predominant pathogens in burn wound infections, and prevalence of multidrug resistant strains has further complicated the situation. An increased interest in phage therapy as a means of combating infection has been accruing in recent years. In order to overcome the drawbacks associated with phage therapy, the present study was conducted to evaluate the potential of liposomes as a delivery vehicle for phage in the treatment of burn wound infection. ⋯ The results showed the potential of liposome entrapped phage cocktail for treating Klebsiella pneumoniae mediated infections. Thus, this strategy can serve as an effective approach for treating Klebsiella mediated burn wound infections in individuals who do not respond to conventional antibiotic therapy.
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Objective measurement tools may be of great value to provide early and reliable burn wound assessment. Thermal imaging is an easy, accessible and objective technique, which measures skin temperature as an indicator of tissue perfusion. These thermal images might be helpful in the assessment of burn wounds. However, before implementation of a novel measurement tool into clinical practice is considered, it is appropriate to test its clinimetric properties (i.e. reliability and validity). The objective of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the recently introduced FLIR ONE thermal imager. ⋯ Our results show that the FLIR ONE thermal imager is highly reliable, but the moderate validity calls for additional research. However, the FLIR ONE is pre-eminently feasible, allowing easy and fast measurements in clinical burn practice.
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The efficient use of operating theatres is important to insure optimum cost-benefit for the hospital. We used the emergency Burns theatre as a model to assess theatre efficiency at our institution. ⋯ Our study highlights areas where theatre efficiency can be improved. We suggest various strategies to improve this that may be applied universally.