Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Burn wound blister fluid is a valuable matrix for understanding the biological pathways associated with burn injury. In this study, 152 blister fluid samples collected from paediatric burn wounds at three different hospitals were analysed using mass spectrometry proteomic techniques. The protein abundance profile at different days after burn indicated more proteins were associated with cellular damage/repair in the first 24 h, whereas after this point more proteins were associated with antimicrobial defence. ⋯ This may indicate that removal of burn blisters prior to two days after burn is optimal to prevent excessive or prolonged inflammation in the wound environment. Additionally, many proteins associated with the neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) pathway were increased after burn, further implicating NETs in the post-burn inflammatory response. NET inhibitors may therefore be a potential treatment to reduce post-burn inflammation and coagulation pathology and enhance burn wound healing outcomes.
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Appropriate and timely first aid reduces morbidity in burns. This study aims to assess the knowledge of first aid in burns among healthcare workers (HCW) and nonhealthcare workers. (NHCW). ⋯ We find a clear need for adequate training in burns first aid due to low awareness among healthcare workers (HCW) and non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Factors such as participation in burn first aid courses and gaining firsthand experience in treating burns were found to be linked to improved knowledge of burns prevention and first aid. Utilizing various media channels could be a valuable strategy to reach a broader audience, especially in remote and inaccessible areas.
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In South Africa, fire-related deaths are common, particularly within dense informal housing settlements. Published data on deaths from fire incidents in Cape Town is sparse. Additionally, little emphasis has been placed on the role of toxicological investigations in these deaths, despite the known risk of alcohol and drug impairment to burn injury. ⋯ This article provides an updated description of fire deaths in the west metropole of Cape Town. The importance of BAC and COHb testing in these cases was noted, and the authors call for an investigation of the role of drug impairment (specifically frequently misused drugs methamphetamine and methaqualone) as a risk factor in these deaths. Areas of high-density informal settlements, where open flames are used to heat, light, and cook, were noted as high risk.