Search

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of low-intensity therapeutic ultrasound (LITUS) on wound healing in rats with third-degree burns., Methods: Twenty rats were divided into the Control Group that comprised four rats without third-degree burns that did not undergo LITUS, the Burned Group (BG), comprising eight rats with third-degree burns that did not undergo LITUS, and the Burned with Treatment Group (BTG), comprising eight rats with third-degree burns that were administered LITUS. LITUS began 24 h after injury and involved daily applications for 8 min at 0.1 W/cm2 for 14 days., Results: The BTG lost less weight than the BG (Q=2.75; p<0.05). No visible differences were apparent among the groups' lesions on day 4. By the end of treatment, wound healing was more evident in the BTG. No statistically significant differences were found between the BG and the BTG in relation to the parameters measured using the histological changes in burn wound healing scoring system., Conclusion: The LITUS protocol applied to the animals with third-degree burns accelerated the formation of fibrin-leukocyte crusts and significantly reduced weight loss. However, burn wound healing was not accelerated.

Purpose: In this paper an automatic system to diagnose burn depths based on colour digital photographs is presented., Justification: There is a low success rate in the determination of burn depth for inexperienced surgeons (around 50%), which rises to the range from 64 to 76% for experienced surgeons. In order to establish the first treatment, which is crucial for the patient evolution, the determination of the burn depth is one of the main steps. As the cost of maintaining a Burn Unit is very high, it would be desirable to have an automatic system to give a first assessment in local medical centres or at the emergency, where there is a lack of specialists., Method: To this aim a psychophysical experiment to determine the physical characteristics that physicians employ to diagnose a burn depth is described. A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis (MDS) is then applied to the data obtained from the experiment in order to identify these physical features. Subsequently, these characteristics are translated into mathematical features. Finally, via a classifier (Support Vector Machine) and a feature selection method, the discriminant power of these mathematical features to distinguish among burn depths is analysed, and the subset of features that better estimates the burn depth is selected., Results: A success rate of 79.73% was obtained when burns were classified as those which needed grafts and those which did not., Conclusions: Results validate the ability of the features extracted from the psychophysical experiment to classify burns into their depths., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

The calculation of REC forms the basis of expert opinions for the purposes of making accident insurance assessments after an occupational accident or an accident suffered en route while travelling to or from the workplace. The estimation of REC is based on a procedure quoted in the 1995 "Jahrbuch der Versicherungsmedizin" (Yearbook of Insurance Medicine) using a form developed by Henkel von Donnersmarck and Hoerbrand. The overall estimation of damages resulting from the accident comprises 3 main components, namely the functional impairment, the assessment of local findings and the resulting somatic and vegetative complaints. The criteria for all 3 components are nevertheless imprecise and open to a great deal of interpretation on the part of the evaluator, leading to a highly variable and subjective overall assessment of REC. The new REC form includes a modified factor-based categorisation of the scar quality and the localisation, so that assessment can now be carried out in a differentiated manner. Visible, stigmatising areas such as the neck are provided with their own Q values. The pigmental and textural alterations describing the scar quality are now more precisely defined. Considering the complexity of the somatic and vegetative alterations, more precise (objective) assessments can now be derived. The new REC form increases the validity and transparency of post-thermal trauma REC assessments for the purposes of making statutory accident insurance assessments., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Sunburn, thermal, and chemical injuries to the skin are common in the United States and worldwide. Initial management is determined by type and extent of injury with special care to early management of airway, breathing, and circulation. Fluid management has typically been guided by the Parkland formula, whereas some experts now question this. Each type of skin injury has its own pathophysiology and resultant complications. All primary care physicians should have at least a basic knowledge of management of acute and chronic skin injuries., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Multispectral imaging (MSI) is an optical technique that measures specific wavelengths of light reflected from wound site tissue to determine the severity of burn wounds. A rapid MSI device to measure burn depth and guide debridement will improve clinical decision making and diagnoses., Methodology: We used a porcine burn model to study partial thickness burns of varying severity. We made eight 4 × 4 cm burns on the dorsum of one minipig. Four burns were studied intact, and four burns underwent serial tangential excision. We imaged the burn sites with 400-1000 nm wavelengths., Results: Histology confirmed that we achieved various partial thickness burns. Analysis of spectral images show that MSI detects significant variations in the spectral profiles of healthy tissue, superficial partial thickness burns, and deep partial thickness burns. The absorbance spectra of 515, 542, 629, and 669 nm were the most accurate in distinguishing superficial from deep partial thickness burns, while the absorbance spectra of 972 nm was the most accurate in guiding the debridement process., Conclusion: The ability to distinguish between partial thickness burns of varying severity to assess whether a patient requires surgery could be improved with an MSI device in a clinical setting., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Burns are frequently encountered on the modern battlefield, with 5% - 20% of combat casualties expected to sustain some burn injury. Addressing immediate life-threatening conditions in accordance with the MARCH protocol (massive hemorrhage, airway, respirations, circulation, hypothermia/head injury) remains the top priority for burn casualties. Stopping the burning process, total burn surface area (TBSA) calculation, fluid resuscitation, covering the wounds, and hypothermia management are the next steps. If transport to definitive care is delayed and the prolonged field care stage is entered, the provider must be prepared to provide for the complex resuscitation and wound care needs of a critically ill burn casualty., (2015.)

Background: Burn patients with AKI have a higher mortality, rapid diagnosis and early treatment of AKI are necessary. Recent studies have demonstrated that urinary KIM-1 and IL-18 are potential biomarkers of early-stage AKI, however, changes in urinary KIM-1 and IL-18 levels are unclear in patients with burns. The aim of our study was to determine whether combined KIM-1 and IL-18 are more sensitive than traditional markers in detecting kidney injury in patients with burns., Methods: Ninety-five burn patients hospitalized at the Burns and Plastic Surgery Center of our hospital from April 2013 to September 2013 were enrolled into this prospective study and divided into mild- (n = 37), moderate- (n = 30) and severe-burn groups (n = 28) by burn injury surface area. In the moderate- and severe-burn groups, patients were subcategorized to either the acute kidney injury (AKI) group, in which serum creatinine (Scr) increased to ≥ 26.5 μmol/L within 48 h, or the non-AKI group. Fifteen healthy subjects were selected as a control group. Blood specimens were collected to determine blood urea nitrogen (BUN), Scr, and other biochemical indicators. Urine samples collected at admission and 48 h after admission were analyzed for KIM-1 and IL-18. Correlations among urinary KIM-1 and IL-18, burn degree, and clinical biochemical indicators were investigated., Results: AKI occurred in 11.2 % of burn patients (none in the mild-burn group). AKI developed 48 h after admission in 10.0 % of the moderate- and 28.6 % of the severe-burn groups. Urinary KIM-1 concentration in the moderate- and severe-burn groups was significantly higher than that in the control group; urinary IL-18 concentrations did not differ significantly among the burn and control groups. The AKI group had significantly higher concentrations of urinary KIM-1 and IL-18 than the non-AKI group, both at admission (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively) and 48 h later (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Both urinary KIM-1 and IL-18 increased before Scr. Receiver operating-curve (ROC) analysis demonstrated that KIM-1 combined with IL-18 predicted AKI with 72.7 % sensitivity and 92.8 % specificity. The area under the ROC curve was 0.904., Conclusions: Our results suggest that urinary KIM-1 and IL-18 may be used as early, sensitive indicators of AKI in patients with burns of varying degrees and provide clinical clues that can be used in early prevention of AKI.

The total REC (reduction in earning capacity) after a thermal trauma is usually assessed using an appraisal form for burns victims, initially developed by Hoerbrandt and von Donnersmarck (1995). The criteria for functional impairment, local findings and vegetative-somatic complaints are somewhat imprecise given the broad scope of interpretation which the evaluator can employ in making an appraisal. This means that the overall appraisal of REC is subjective on the part of the evaluator. In addition, one can only calculate an overall REC of at most 40% from local findings and vegetative-somatic symptoms, even in patients with extensive large area burns. Considering these points we investigated the dependency of the results on the evaluator as well as the limited validity of the appraisal form originally developed by Hörbrand and Donnersmark., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Background: Since pediatric emergencies and burn injuries are rare in prehospital emergency medicine, emergency teams can hardly develop routine in emergency care., Objectives: How to effectively treat burn injuries and avoid common errors?, Materials and Methods: A simple and severity-based therapy concept based on the current literature using the example of a case report is presented., Results: About 80% of burns and scalds in children are not severe cases-in these patients an effective analgesia by intranasal administration is important and further invasive treatments are generally not necessary. The emergency care of children with severe burn injuries should start with intranasally administered analgesia and/or sedation. After an intravenous or intraosseous access is gained, moderate fluid therapy is started, which should be complemented by a fluid bolus only if signs of a shock are present. Additional administration of analgesia and/or sedation may be necessary. Estimation of the burned body surface area is best determined with the palm rule; the severity of the burn appears after a latency period. Induction of anesthesia and intubation are not required in the majority of cases., Conclusions: By applying a modified ABCDE scheme, all emergency teams can provide effective emergency care in children with burn injuries.

Burns in patients aged < 14 years are consistently among the top causes of injury-induced mortality in pediatric patients. Pediatric burn victims with large body surface area involvement have a multisystem physiologic response that differs from that of adult patients. The spectrum of management is vast and relies heavily on both the classification of the burn and the anatomy involved. Immediate goals for emergency clinicians include resuscitation and stabilization, fluid management, and pain control. Additional goals include decreasing the risk of infection along with improving healing and cosmetic outcomes. Discharge care and appropriate follow-up instructions need to be carefully constructed in order to avoid long-standing complications. This article reviews methods for accurate classification and management of the full range of burns seen in pediatric patients.

Burns are classified according to the depth of the burn wound and extent of affected burned body surface area. In deep second degree and higher grade burns the epidermis and skin appendages are destroyed so that healing can only take place with severe scarring. In these cases necrectomy and skin grafting are recommended. Extensive and deep burns should be treated at specialized centers and more precise criteria for this are laid down in the guidelines. Emergency room treatment protocols have improved the quality of admission and treatment. Concomitant injuries need to be diagnosed and treated early. In addition to the damage to the skin the subsequent burn disease with massive accumulation of interstitial fluid determines the prognosis. The circulation is stabilized and the risk of infection is controlled by intensive fluid management, early necrectomy and split thickness skin grafting. Modern sedation and ventilation management allows a more rapid convalescence.

Purpose: Retrospective studies on the types and causes of facial burns are important because the patterns might vary in different societies. Our aim was to assess the burn-related factors of significance that might be useful in healthcare planning and implementing preventive strategies, adding to the body of current data on the subject., Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the data from a major burns referral center during a 5-year period (2009 to 2013). The data relevant to age, gender, cause, source, location, burn degree, extent (body surface area [BSA]) of the burns, and mortality were gathered from comprehensive patient medical records, recorded, and analyzed using SPSS, version 20, software (SPSS, Chicago, IL)., Results: Within the study period, we found 808 documented cases of second- and third-degree facial burns. These burns were more common in men (81.9%) and in the 16- to 35-year age group (42.3%). The mean hospitalization was 9.85 ± 8.94 days. In 443 patients (54.83%), 10 to 19% of their BSA was burned, and 3.06% had associated inhalation burns. The most common burn was scalding (19%), and the deadliest was burns from acid, with a mortality rate of 7.4%. Accidents accounted for 776 burns (96.03%). Other causes were attempted homicide (16 cases, 1.98%) and suicide attempts (16 cases, 1.98%). The overall mortality was 1.6%., Conclusions: The key findings were that second- and third-degree facial burns were more common in males aged 16 to 35 years with burns covering 10 to 19% of the BSA. Accidental scalding was commonly responsible for the second-degree burns, and electrical accidents were commonly responsible for third-degree facial burns. Burn accidents occurred more often at the patient's home., (Copyright © 2015 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was describe national trends in prevalence, demographics, hospital length of stay (LOS), hospital charges, and mortality for burn patients with and without inhalational injury and to compare to the National Burn Repository. Burns and inhalation injury cause considerable mortality and morbidity in the United States. There remains insufficient reporting of the demographics and outcomes surrounding such injuries. The National Inpatient Sample database, the nation's largest all-payer inpatient care data repository, was utilized to select 506,628 admissions for burns from 1988 to 2008 based on ICD-9-CM recording. The data were stratified based on the extent of injury (%TBSA) and presence or absence of inhalational injury. Inhalation injury was observed in only 2.2% of burns with <20% TBSA but 14% of burns with 80 to 99% TBSA. Burn patients with inhalation injury were more likely to expire in-hospital compared to those without (odds ratio, 3.6; 95% confidence interval, 2.7-5.0; P < .001). Other factors associated with higher mortality were African-American race, female sex, and urban practice setting. Patients treated at rural facilities and patients with hyperglycemia had lower mortality rates. Each increase in percent of TBSA of burns increased LOS by 2.5%. Patients with burns covering 50 to 59% of TBSA had the longest hospital stay at a median of 24 days (range, 17-55). The median in-hospital charge for a burn patient with inhalation injury was US$32,070, compared to US$17,600 for those without. Overall, patients who expired from burn injury accrued higher in-hospital charges (median, US$50,690 vs US$17,510). Geographically, California and New Jersey were the states with the highest charges, whereas Vermont and Maryland were states with the lowest charges. The study analysis provides a broad sampling of nationwide demographics, LOS, and in-hospital charges for patients with burns and inhalation injury.

Though multiple studies have demonstrated superior outcomes amongst adult burn patients at verified burn centers (VBCs) relative to nondedicated burn centers (NBCs), roughly half of such patients meeting American Burn Association (ABA) referral guidelines are not sent to these centers. We sought examine referral patterns amongst pediatric burn patients. Retrospective review of a statewide patient database identified pediatric burn patients from 2000 to 2007 using International Classification of Disease (ICD-9) discharge codes. These injuries were crossreferenced with ABA referral criteria to determine compliance with the ABA guidelines. 1831 children sustained burns requiring hospitalization during the study period, of which 1274 (70%) met ABA referral criteria. Of 557 treated at NBCs, 306 (55%) met criteria for transfer. Neither age, gender, nor payer status demonstrated significant association with treatment center. VBCs treated more severely injured patients, but there was no difference in survival or rate of discharge home from NBCs versus VBCs. Studies to evaluate differences in functional outcomes between pediatric burn patients treated at VBCs versus NBCs would be beneficial to ensure optimization of outcomes in this population.

Estimation of acute burn injuries is known to be difficult, but a thorough and precise evaluation is essential in order to initiate relevant treatment. The initial estimation relates to the size, depth and localisation of the injury as well as a number of concomitant factors. This article reviews the literature concerning the initial evaluation of burns and highlights the areas, which most often cause difficulties. The initial treatment and the types of burn injuries needing referral to specialist care are summarized.

The standard of care for clinical assessment of burn severity and extent lacks a quantitative measurement. In this work, spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) was used to measure 48 thermal burns of graded severity (superficial partial, deep partial, and full thickness) in a porcine model. Functional (total hemoglobin and tissue oxygen saturation) and structural parameters (tissue scattering) derived from the SFDI measurements were monitored over 72 h for each burn type and compared to gold standard histological measurements of burn depth. Tissue oxygen saturation (stO₂) and total hemoglobin (ctHbT) differentiated superficial partial thickness burns from more severe burn types after 2 and 72 h, respectively (p < 0.01), but were unable to differentiate deep partial from full thickness wounds in the first 72 h. Tissue scattering parameters separated superficial burns from all burn types immediately after injury (p < 0.01), and separated all three burn types from each other after 24 h (p < 0.01). Tissue scattering parameters also showed a strong negative correlation to histological burn depth as measured by vimentin immunostain (r² > 0.89). These results show promise for the use of SFDI-derived tissue scattering as a correlation to burn depth and the potential to assess burn depth via a combination of SFDI functional and structural parameters.

Background: Few data exist on the epidemiological characteristics of thermal injuries in prehospital emergency care, especially in the context of air rescue. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the epidemiology of pediatric and adult thermal injuries in the helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) run by the Austrian Automobile Motorcycle Touring Club (OEAMTC) air rescue service from an almost nationwide sample., Methods: All OEAMTC-HEMS rescue missions flown for thermal injuries in 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Primary (n=88) and secondary missions (n=17) were collated and all primary missions were analyzed in detail., Results: In total 71 out of 16,100 (0.4 %) primary HEMS rescue missions were for patients suffering from burns or scalds (children n=27, adults n=44). The proportion of major burns (burns covering >20 % of the total body surface area) was 40.7 % in children and 54.5 % in adults, 44 (62 %) burn/scald injuries were related to the head/neck, 37 (52.1 %) to the upper limbs and 10 (14.1 %) to the anogenital region. More than half of the victims (63.4%) suffered potentially life-threatening injury., Conclusions: In HEMS thermal injuries are infrequent but mostly life-threatening. Differences in epidemiological characteristics of pediatric and adult burns/scalds may have important operational, training and public health implications.

Burn injuries are a major public health problem worldwide, because they are very common. They are usually produced in domestic or work environments, although it is not unusual that they might be caused by traffic accidents or intentionally (self-injured or assaults on the people). These injuries do not attract much attention but if they are not treated properly, they can lead to serious systemic complications which can sometimes cause the death of the patient. In the last few years, the therapeutic approach of the burned patient has significantly improved due to an early correct initial valuation, which is used to design an effective nursing care plan and it determines the prescription of a suitable medical treatment according to the characteristics and the severity of the burn. The aim of this chapter is to explain some general aspects about the aetiology and pathology of burn injuries and their systemic effects, because the medical and nursing staff should know these aspects to make an adequate initial valuation. They should recognize the aetiology of the burn, its depth and area, its severity and its systemic complications to act properly in the initial phase of the treatment, because these preliminary actions are essential in the prognosis and evolution of the burns.

Background: Terrorist explosions occurring in varying settings have been shown to lead to significantly different injury patterns among the victims, with more severe injuries generally arising in confined space attacks. Increasing numbers of terrorist attacks have been targeted at civilian buses, yet most studies focus on events in which the bomb was detonated within the bus. This study focuses on the injury patterns and hospital utilisation among casualties from explosive terrorist bus attacks with the bomb detonated either within a bus or adjacent to a bus., Methods: All patients hospitalised at six level I trauma centres and four large regional trauma centres following terrorist explosions that occurred in and adjacent to buses in Israel between November 2000 and August 2004 were reviewed. Injury severity scores (ISS) were used to assess severity. Hospital utilisation data included length of hospital stay, surgical procedures performed, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission., Results: The study included 262 victims of 22 terrorist attacks targeted at civilian bus passengers and drivers; 171 victims were injured by an explosion within a bus (IB), and 91 were injured by an explosion adjacent to a bus (AB). Significant differences were noted between the groups, with the IB population having higher ISS scores, more primary blast injury, more urgent surgical procedures performed, and greater ICU utilisation. Both groups had percentages of nearly 20% for burn injury, had high percentages of injuries to the head/neck, and high percentages of surgical wound and burn care., Conclusions: Explosive terrorist attacks detonated within a bus generate more severe injuries among the casualties and require more urgent surgical and intensive level care than attacks occurring adjacent to a bus. The comparison and description of the outcomes to these terrorist attacks should aid in the preparation and response to such devastating events., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Burn injuries are a major cause of medico legal deaths in Pakistan. The present study was conducted with the aim to assess the mortality rate related to different types of burns injuries., Findings: This was an observational prospective cross sectional study conducted in Burns Ward of Civil Hospital, Karachi during a period of two years from January 1st 2010 to December 31st, 2011. Data was collected over a questionnaire containing demographic variables as well as date of burn, date of the death (if patient expired), total body surface area involved, cause and manner of burn. The data was statistically analyzed by SPSS v. 16. A total of 1979 patients were admitted to the department during the study period. Out of them, 715 died, hence a mortality rate of 36.12%. Out of the 715 patients, 380 (53.1%) were males and 335 (46.9%) were females. Mortality was highest in age-group 16-30 years (n = 395, 55.2%). Majority of the deaths were accidental (n = 685, 95.8%). Fire burns was found to be the most common cause of death (n = 639, 89.3%). 35% (n = 252) of the patients who died had more than 60% of total body surface area involved in burns., Conclusion: Measures must be taken to inform the general population of the possible causes of these injuries, and to enable the people to be prepared to face any such circumstances.

Unlabelled: Routinely collected hospitalisation data are widely used to monitor injury trends, provide estimates of the burden of injury and healthcare costs, and to inform policy. This study examined the impact of different ICD-10 based case selection criteria commonly used by Australian and international reporting bodies on the number and nature of burn-related hospitalisations identified., Methods: Burn cases from a state-wide administrative hospitalisation dataset were identified and compared using three different case selection criteria: (1) principal diagnosis code of burn 'T20-T31', (2) first external cause code denoting burn 'X00-X19' and (3) both principal diagnosis code of community acquired injury 'S00-T98' and first external cause code denoting burn 'X00-X19'., Results: Principal diagnosis codes 'T20-T31' and first external cause codes 'X00-X19' identified a similar number of cases, however only 78% of these were captured by both definitions. Principal diagnosis codes identified chemical, electrical and contact burns not identified as burns using external cause codes. First external cause codes identified readmission cases which were not identified by principal diagnosis codes. Using principal diagnosis codes of community acquired injury combined with external cause code of burn under-numerated hospitalisations by forty percent., Conclusion: The development, implementation and evaluation of health policy and prevention measures rely on good quality, consistent data. Current methods for identifying burn cases in hospitalisation data provide wide differences in estimation of number and nature of cases. It is important for clinicians to understand the implications of coding on the epidemiology and measurement of the burden of burn., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Burn depth and burn size are crucial determinants for assessing patients suffering from burns. Therefore, a correct evaluation of these factors is optimal for adapting the appropriate treatment in modern burn care. Burn surface assessment is subject to considerable differences among clinicians. This work investigated the accuracy among experts based on conventional surface estimation methods (e.g. "Rule of Palm", "Rule of Nines" or "Lund-Browder Chart"). The estimation results were compared to a computer-based evaluation method. Survey data was collected during one national and one international burn conference. The poll confirmed deviations of burn depth/size estimates of up to 62% in relation to the mean value of all participants. In comparison to the computer-based method, overestimation of up to 161% was found. We suggest introducing improved methods for burn depth/size assessment in clinical routine in order to efficiently allocate and distribute the available resources for practicing burn care., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Digital infrared thermal imaging is used to assess noninvasively the severity of burn wounds in 13 pediatric patients. A delta-T (ΔT) parameter obtained by subtracting the temperature of a healthy contralateral region from the temperature of the burn wound is compared with the burn depth measured histopathologically. Thermal imaging results show that superficial dermal burns (IIa) show increased temperature compared with their contralateral healthy region, while deep dermal burns (IIb) show a lower temperature than their contralateral healthy region. This difference in temperature is statistically significant (p<0.0001) and provides a way of distinguishing deep dermal from superficial dermal burns. These results show that digital infrared thermal imaging could be used as a noninvasive procedure to assess burn wounds. An additional advantage of using thermal imaging, which can image a large skin surface area, is that it can be used to identify regions with different burn depths and estimate the size of the grafts needed for deep dermal burns.

Accurate burn estimation affects the use of burn resuscitation formulas and treatment strategies, and thus can affect patient outcomes. The objective of this process-improvement project was to compare the accuracy of a computer-based burn mapping program, WoundFlow (WF), with the widely used hand-mapped Lund-Browder (LB) diagram. Manikins with various burn representations (from 1% to more than 60% TBSA) were used for comparison of the WF system and LB diagrams. Burns were depicted on the manikins using red vinyl adhesive. Healthcare providers responsible for mapping of burn patients were asked to perform burn mapping of the manikins. Providers were randomized to either an LB or a WF group. Differences in the total map area between groups were analyzed. Also, direct measurements of the burn representations were taken and compared with LB and WF results. The results of 100 samples, compared using Bland-Altman analysis, showed no difference between the two methods. WF was as accurate as LB mapping for all burn surface areas. WF may be additionally beneficial in that it can track daily progress until complete wound closure, and can automatically calculate burn size, thus decreasing the chances of mathematical errors.

Burn injury is a leading cause of life-threatening trauma worldwide, affecting more than 450,000 Americans each year, and is associated with an average mortality rate of 0.8%. Patients with an increased risk of death from burn injuries include elderly patients and patients with large burns or inhalation injury. Providing optimal care for patients with major burn injuries requires the coordinated effort of multidisciplinary teams in which anesthesia providers play a critical role. Anesthetic management for burn surgery can be technically challenging because of difficult airway management and vascular access, as well as cognitively demanding because of dramatic pathophysiologic changes that compromise hemodynamic stability and alter patient response to many anesthetic agents. The following article reviews the literature related to the pathophysiology and clinical management of major burn injuries and highlights the key concepts relevant to the delivery of safe and efficacious anesthesia for these patients.

Background: Burn injuries are a huge public health issue for children. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and etiological features, burn wound infections, and clinical trends of 2346 pediatric burns patients over 15 years in the southeast provinces of Turkey and to establish criteria for a pediatric burn prevention program., Methods: Age, gender, degree of burn, demographics, etiology of burn, burn wound infections, length of hospital stay, total body surface area percentage, and outcome data of 2346 children (1064 males, 1282 females; mean age 4.42±3.56 years; range 2 months to 15 years) who admitted to the Burn Center of Dicle University between January 1994 and December 2008 were recorded., Results: The male to female ratio was 0.8:1. The highest incidence appeared in the 0-4 years of age group (68.5%). Burn type was scalding burns in 1828 (77.9%), flame burns in 332 (14.2%) and electrical burns in 186 (7.9%). Distribution of the degree of burns was 19 (0.8%) first-degree, 2172 (92.6%) second-degree and 155 (6.6%) third-degree. The mean total body surface area burn was 21.5±12.6%. The mean length of hospitalization was 12.87±10.02 days. The most frequently isolated burn wound infections were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (52%, 368), Acinetobacter spp. (12%, 83), and Escherichia coli (9%, 66). 2241 (95.5%) cases were survivors and 105 (4.5%) were non-survivors., Conclusion: The epidemiological features of pediatric burns in the southeast region of Turkey differ from those of other regions. Burn prevention education should include training in pediatric burn prevention.

In 2007, the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) developed a modified standard for diagnosing and classifying acute kidney injury (AKI). This classification system is a modification of the previously described risk, injury, failure, loss, and end-stage (RIFLE) criteria. Among other modifications, the AKIN staging requires an absolute serum creatinine change of 0.3 mg/dl in a 48-hour period to establish the diagnosis of AKI. The purpose of this study was to apply these new criteria in the severely burned population and to compare the prevalence, stage, and mortality impact of these criteria to the RIFLE criteria. The authors performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with burns admitted to their burn center for at least 24 hours from June 2003 through December 2008. Each patient was classified by both the AKIN and RIFLE criteria by three referees. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the impact of the various AKI stages on mortality. A total of 1973 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The average age, %TBSA, injury severity score, and percent with smoke inhalation injury were 36 ± 16, 16 ± 18, 10 ± 12, and 13%, respectively. Overall, the prevalence of AKI was 33% using the AKIN criteria and 24% using the RIFLE criteria with an associated mortality of 21 and 25%, respectively. Of those meeting criteria for AKIN stage 1 (N = 434), 41% (N = 180) would have been categorized as not having AKI on the basis of the RIFLE criteria. In this cohort of patients, mortality increased by almost 8-fold when compared with those without AKI (odds ratio 7.8 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.7-16.2], P < .0001). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for in-hospital mortality was significantly higher for the AKIN criteria at 0.877 (95% CI 0.848-0.906) when compared to the RIFLE criteria at 0.838 (95% CI 0.801-0.874; P = .0007). Burn patients identified as having AKI by the AKIN criteria missed by RIFLE appear to be an important cohort. On the basis of our study, AKIN criteria may be more precise and are more predictive of death than the RIFLE criteria in this population. Prospective validation is needed.

Objective: The aim of our study was to determine risk factors associated with nosocomial infections in children hospitalized for skin burn., Study Design: Prospective study including children hospitalized for skin burn., Methods: We collected demographic characteristic, mode of admission, mechanism of burn, extent of burn surface by the tables of Lund and Browder, depth of the lesions according to clinical criteria and evolution, type of invasive care (urinary catheterization, central catheterization or mechanical ventilation), nosocomial infection and its time of occurrence, prescription of empirical antibiotic therapy and evolution during hospitalization. The criteria for "American Burn Association" were used to define a severe burn in children., Results: One hundred eighty-two children were included. In univariate analysis, six risk factors were significantly associated with the occurrence of nosocomial infection: extent of burn surface, severe burn, urinary catheterization and its duration and central catheterization and its duration. Extent of burn surface greater than 10% of total body surface is an independent factor of the occurrence of nosocomial infection (P=0.009) in Multivariate analysis., Conclusion: In our study, extent of burn surface greater than 10% of total body surface is as an independent risk factor for the occurrence of nosocomial infection., (Copyright © 2012 Société française d’anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Videomicroscopy is very useful for burn depth assessment in an early phase; however, there is no practical classification that includes complicated anatomic, pathologic, and morphologic findings of burn wounds. The aim of this study was to propose a novel classification to assess burn depth in its early phase easily and reliably by videomicroscopy., Methods: Forty-four patients with 56 intermediate-depth burn wounds were included. Burn depth was divided into each grade according to our proposed classification, which is composed of five categories based on dermal capillary integrity patterns. The intrarater and interrater reliabilities of the assessment by the second and third authors were evaluated by Cohen's unweighted κ-value., Results: The results of the measurements according to the proposed classification showed an accuracy of 92.9%, sensitivity of 81.8%, and specificity of 100.0%. The intrarater reliability of the second and third authors showed substantial agreement (κ=0.719 and 0.729, respectively). The interrater reliability of the sum of each observer's variable also showed substantial agreement (κ=0.636)., Conclusion: This pattern analysis system is easy to use even for inexperienced personnel, and is reliable with high accuracy and specificity. Intrarater and interrater statistics also support its reliability and reproducibility., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To review the literature related to severe burn injury (SBI), burn shock, and smoke inhalation injury in domestic animals. Current animal- and human-based research and literature were evaluated to provide an overview of thermal burn classification and the pathophysiology of burn shock and smoke inhalation injury., Etiology: Severe burn injury, burn shock, and smoke inhalation injury may be encountered as a result of thermal injury, radiation injury, chemical injury, or electrical injury., Diagnosis: Burns can be subdivided based on the amount of total body surface area (TBSA) involved and the depth of the burn. Local burn injuries involve <20% of the TBSA whereas SBI involves >20-30% of the TBSA. The modern burn classification system classifies burns by increasing depth: superficial, superficial partial-thickness, deep partial-thickness, and full-thickness., Summary: Local burn injury rarely leads to systemic illness whereas SBI leads to significant metabolic derangements that require immediate and intensive management. SBI results in a unique derangement of cardiovascular dysfunction known as "burn shock." The physiologic changes that occur with SBI can be divided into 2 distinct phases; the resuscitation phase and the hyperdynamic hypermetabolic phase. The resuscitation phase occurs immediately following SBI and lasts for approximately 24-72 hours. This period of hemodynamic instability is characterized by the release of inflammatory mediators, increased vascular permeability, reduced cardiac output, and edema formation. The hyperdynamic hypermetabolic phase begins approximately 3-5 days after injury. This phase is characterized by hyperdynamic circulation and an increased metabolic rate that can persist up to 24 months post burn injury in people., (© Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2012.)

Burns can result in long term impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions in a patients' life. The focus of current surgeries and therapy is to improve body functions and structures. However, often this does not translate to an improvement in activity and participation for the patient. Improvement in activity and participation is the ultimate goal of all therapy to enhance patient's quality of life. The incorporation of assessment measures at all levels of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) can assist in a holistic, patient centred approach to identify the complex impairments that impact on activity and participation, with a view to appropriately targeting future therapeutic interventions. This paper presents an example case of how implementing measures at all levels of the ICF can improve our understanding of a patient's body functions and structures, activity and participation. A number of the outcome measures utilised in this study are novel in the burns population, such that video footage supplements the methodology where relevant., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Follow-up examinations are necessary to reveal consequences of burn injuries of the hand that are suitable for treatment. However, many patients do not attend such a check-up. A standardised protocol like the DASH questionnaire can help to get at least a minimum of information. We have tested a new set of questions among 81 patients who have been treated at our institution between 2006 and 2007 because of severe burns of their hand. A new coefficient could be calculated, which can fulfill the requirements of a scoring system after burn injuries of the hand quite well. It can be easily applied so that we recommend its use whenever it is not possible to perform a regular medical examination., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Purpose: To analyze the German, Austrian, Italian and Spanish Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG)-systems regarding burns., Methods: We analyzed 78 cases of inpatients with burns which were processed by national DRG-groupers. DRGs were linked to thresholds concerning length of stay as well as reimbursement tables of the respective countries., Main Findings: Fifty-one % of cases showed higher reimbursement in Germany compared to Austria, 55% compared to Italy and 67% as against Spain. Total proceeds are highest in Austria with 1,577,000 €, followed by Italy with 1,569,000 €, Germany with 1,502,000 € and Spain with 902,596 €. No correlation was found between macroeconomic key figures and our data., Conclusions: International comparison of reimbursement of burns by DRG could be a useful instrument for benchmarking while not depending solely on political decisions or country-specific cost data. For better comparability, hospital indices based on healthcare baskets should be discussed., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Severe thermal injury induces inflammatory and hypermetabolic responses that are associated with morbidity and mortality. However, it is not well-documented whether the causes of burns affect inflammation, hypermetabolism, and morbidity. The aim of the present study was to determine whether there is a difference in degree of inflammation, hypermetabolism, endocrine and acute-phase response, and clinical outcome between pediatric patients with scald and flame burns., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: Children with burns requiring surgical intervention were enrolled in this cohort study and divided into two groups, scald or flame burn. In a second assignment, we analyzed the study populations in representative subgroups containing individuals with third-degree burns of 40% to 60% total body surface area. We determined clinical outcomes, resting energy expenditures, cytokine profiles, acute-phase proteins, constitutive proteins, and hormone panels. Statistical analysis was evaluated by analysis of variance, Student's t test corrected with the Bonferroni post hoc test, and the propensity score. Statistical significance was set at p < .05. A total of 912 patients were identified. Six hundred seventy-four had a flame burn and 238 had a scald burn. There was a significant difference (p < .05) in burn size (flame, 48% ± 23%; scald, 40% ± 21%), third-degree burn (flame, 39% ± 27%; scald 22% ± 25%), age (flame, 8 ± 5 yrs; scald, 3 ± 3 yrs), and mortality between groups. Propensity analysis confirmed the type of burn as a significant risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Subanalysis conducted in a representative patient group suffering from 40% to 60% burn total body surface area revealed that flame burns lead to significantly increased hypermetabolic, inflammatory, and acute-phase responses when compared to scald burns (p < .05). The frequency of sepsis was 3% in the scald burn group, while it was 14% in the flame group (p < .001). Multiorgan failure occurred in 14% of the scald patients, while it occurred in 17% of flame patients. The mortality in patients suffering from a scald burn was 3% compared to 6% in the flame-burned group (p < .05)., Conclusion: The type of burn affects hypermetabolism, inflammation, acute-phase responses, and mortality postburn.

Sequelae of burns on the breast are essentially cosmetic. Requests for their reconstruction take place after the request for the face and hands. The problems is to face the consequences by considering the growth of mammary gland either hormonal in case of children or breast reconstruction as if in case of malgnancy in adult female. We propose a classification, which is helpful to choose the surgical treatment. Our technique of choice is tissue expansion (local or regional cutaneous flaps or full skin graft)., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To identify and quantify the health related concepts contained in the most common outcome instruments used in adult burn care, and to compare the content of these instruments based on their linkage to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The ICF has been validated as a reference tool by the World Health Organization and is a framework that incorporates physical, emotional, environmental and social aspects of daily functioning., Methods: Electronic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE CINAHL, PsychINFO and the Cochrane Library from 2003 onwards were carried out using a predetermined search strategy. Specific characteristics of the included studies and data pertaining to the outcome instruments were extracted. Two reviewers independently categorised the underlying concepts contained in the most commonly used outcome measures and linked them to ICF categories using standardised linkage rules., Results: Out of a total 132 included studies, 151 outcome instruments were identified. Of these, 14 frequently used generic and burn-specific instruments were selected for linkage to the ICF. From the 381 items contained in the 14 instruments, 356 concepts were extracted and subsequently linked to 99 ICF categories. Nearly 46% of the concepts were linked to body function and 20% to activities and participation, whereas only a few concepts were formally linked to health condition, body structures and personal or environmental factors., Conclusion: The ICF proved highly useful for the content comparison of frequently used generic and burn-specific instruments. The results may provide clinicians and researchers with new insights when selecting health-status measures for clinical studies in those with burn injury., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)