"Firefighters Will Be First Patients in HSC Burn Unit"
"Shriners Hospitals for Children Emphasizes Prevention During Burn Awareness Week 2007"
"Safe Kids Kansas Warns 'It Doesn't Take a Fire to Burn a Child'"
"Burn Hospitalization on the Rise, USA"
"Army Opens $50M High-Tech Rehab Center for Amputees, Burn Victims"
"Camp Lets Burn Victims Be Themselves"
"Playing With Fire in Décor"
"Cigarette 'Speed Bump' Extinguishes Butt"
"An Analysis of the Long-Distance Transport of Burn Patients to a Regional Burn Center"
"Saints' McAllister Backs Burn Unit Bill"
"Firefighters Union Makes Donation to Burn Center"
"Volunteers Spark Warmth at Burn Center"
"New Studies From University of Washington, U.S., Outlined"
"Two Simple Leg Net Devices Designed to Protect Lower-Extremity Skin Grafts and Donor Sites and Prevent Decubitus Ulcer"

"Firefighters Will Be First Patients in HSC Burn Unit"
Winnipeg Free Press (02/08/07)

Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre's new burn unit, scheduled to open in April, will have as its first patients two fire fighters. The unit features isolation rooms and new burn care equipment. United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg President Alex Forrest notes that burn recovery is difficult. Burn survivors will stay at the unit for the duration of their recovery.

"Shriners Hospitals for Children Emphasizes Prevention During Burn Awareness Week 2007"
Business Wire (02/02/07)

Shriners Hospitals for Children will stress prevention against scald burns during Burn Awareness Week. A coalition of Shriners hospitals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will join with members of the Shriners of North America to educate the public about scald injuries for the "Heat. It Doesn't Take Flames to Burn" national campaign. To avoid scald injuries while bathing, experts recommend constant supervision of young children and lowering the temperature settings on water heaters to 120 degrees F or less; bath water for children should be about 100 degrees F. Adults should also consider installing anti-scald devices on showerheads and water faucets. In the kitchen, parents should test heated food and liquids before feeding children and keep children away from cooking and sink areas when preparing meals.

"Safe Kids Kansas Warns 'It Doesn't Take a Fire to Burn a Child'"
WIBW 13 (Kansas) (02/01/07)

Safe Kids Kansas is reminding parents that children can be burned by hot liquids, heating appliances, hot pots and pans, electrical currents, and chemicals. Every year over 116,000 children are treated for burns and fire-related injuries in emergency rooms, and fire and burns are the number five cause of accidental death in children 14 and under. A child can suffer third-degree burns that may require surgery and skin grafts after only three seconds of contact with water at 140 degrees. Safe Kids Kansas urges caregivers to remember to set water heaters to 120 degrees F or lower and consider installing anti-scalding devices, about $30 each, on all faucets and shower heads, and to keep all cooking pot handles and electrical cords out of reach.

"Burn Hospitalization on the Rise, USA"
Medical News Today (01/31/07)

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, hospital admissions for burns increased from 26,700 in 2000 to 32,000 in 2004, an increase of almost 22 percent. Burns from hot liquids, like cooking oil, or being scalded by hot vapors such as steam, accounted for almost one of every five burn admissions. Burns from gasoline, lighter fluid, and other flammable products were the second most common, followed by burns from electrical appliances, boiling tap water, and chemical burns from acid and caustic or corrosive products. Patients between 18 and 44 years old accounted for 38 percent of the cases, while patients under 18 comprised 27 percent of cases, and the elderly accounted for 12 percent of cases. In 2004, burn cases cost hospitals $573 million, with an average cost of $17,300 per case, nearly double the average cost for all other conditions. Before this recent increase in burn injuries, the number of burn cases from 1993 to 2000 had declined 44 percent.

"Army Opens $50M High-Tech Rehab Center for Amputees, Burn Victims"
USA Today (01/29/07)

The Army recently opened a multi-million dollar rehabilitation clinic for amputees and soldiers with burn injuries. The $50 million Center for the Intrepid features a wave pool, rock-climbing wall, and virtual reality computer system. With the completion of the 60,000 square-foot, four-story building, the Army will be able to transfer its rehabilitation program out of the Brooke Army Medical Center. "The Center for the Intrepid is going to let us keep advancing what we've been doing," says Maj. Stewart Campbell, head of rehabilitation at Brooke. A 360-degree virtual reality sphere will help soldiers who have lost basic motor skills recover their balance, while the wave pool will help strengthen their abdominal muscles and backs. The center was financed by contributions to the Intrepid Foundation from private donors.

"Camp Lets Burn Victims Be Themselves"
Journal and Courier (Indiana) (01/28/07) Watling, Meranda

The Hoosier Burn Camp third annual winter assembly brought adolescent burn survivors and their families together for a day of fun and games. The event draws more than 150 kids every year for a day of skating, swimming, laser tag, and fellowship with other teens with burn injuries. Eighteen-year-old Kelsey Zehrung has attended the camp for the last two years and credits the experience with allowing her to see herself as a regular teen. "It's nice to go to camp and not be self-conscious," she says. "People are not gonna stare at you because you have scars. Everyone has scars." Camp counselor Kylie Gray attended the camp as a youth and says the winter retreat and other events held throughout the year give kids the opportunity to be themselves among peers who relate to where they have been and where they are now. Parents appreciate the winter gathering because it gives their children a chance to regroup without having to wait until summer.

"Playing With Fire in Décor"
Los Angeles Times (01/25/07) P. F7; Levine, Bettijane

Decorative candles are a common accent in most homes, but safety experts say they are not as innocuous as they seem. According to fire safety experts and the candle industry, there has been a marked increase in the number of accidental fires since the mid-1990s, around the same time that decorative candle sales picked up. Although fire safety warning labels are recommended for all candles, National Candle Association spokesperson Barbara Miller says the majority of candle-related fires occur because people do not heed these warnings. Additional fire safety standards were published in 2004, including a recommendation for all candle manufacturers to add a self-extinguishing wick, but many candles do not have this feature. Miller contends that many candle makers have no incentive to adopt manufacturing safety standards because there is no enforcement mechanism to require them to. She advises that consumers only purchase candles with safety warning labels. "If the manufacturer hasn't adhered to that primary standard, it's a good bet they haven't adhered to any of the other rules, either," she says.

"Cigarette 'Speed Bump' Extinguishes Butt"
KCCI-TV 8 (Des Moines, IA) (01/23/07)

The Iowa Professional Fire Fighters Association is advocating the adoption of a fire-safe cigarette law to curb the number of fires in the state. The Iowa legislature has yet to consider the matter.

"An Analysis of the Long-Distance Transport of Burn Patients to a Regional Burn Center"
Journal of Burn Care & Research (02/01/2007) Vol. 28, No. 1, P. 49; Klein, Matthew B.; Nathens, Avery B.; Emerson, Dominic

Researchers recently sought to analyze any risks associated with long-distance transport of burn patients in view of the presence of relatively few burn centers within large geographic areas in the United States and concerns over the decreasing number of burn surgeons. Analysis of 1,877 admissions to a single burn center found that 45 percent were transferred from at least 90 miles away. The average transfer time for this group was 7.2 hours, yet no deaths were experienced. The most common complications were loss of or inability to secure IV access or inability to secure an airway. The researchers concluded that long-distance transport of burn patients is a viable way to deal with the dearth of burn centers and physicians.

"Saints' McAllister Backs Burn Unit Bill"
Clarion-Ledger (01/19/07)

Deuce McAllister, the running back for the New Orleans Saints, is supporting a plan to form a center to treat burn survivors in Mississippi, over a year after the state's sole burn unit shut down. McAllister has been working with the Mississippi Firefighters Memorial Burn Association to obtain information about how much it would cost to erect and run a burn center in that state. McAllister was raised in Mississippi and has a home and multiple business interests in Jackson. He has expressed serious concern over the lack of a burn center in the state. The Mississippi House Public Health Committee recently voted to build what would be the state's one burn unit at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. If the proposal gets through both chambers of the Legislature and is passed into law by the governor, it could be over a year-and-a-half before a unit could be launched. The legislation, which now proceeds to the entire House for additional discussion, would provide the university with $10 million to complete a floor of the critical care unit to be utilized for burn treatment. In addition, the legislation would allot the university funding every year to operate the center, which would probably treat significant numbers of uninsured patients.

"Firefighters Union Makes Donation to Burn Center"
Valley News (NY) (01/17/07)

The Fulton Firefighters Association recently contributed $350 in gas cards to the Clark Burn Center at the University Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y. The gas cards will be distributed to burn patients' family members. The center is a four-bed, intensive-care facility that serves as a regional referral site and which provides top-of-the-line burn treatment.

"Volunteers Spark Warmth at Burn Center"
DefendAmerica (01/16/07) Willoughby, Victoria

U.S. troops stationed at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salerno in Afghanistan are volunteering at the base's burn center. The center's medical staff and hospital volunteers treat local burn patients, who are often burned by heater explosions. A pair of young Afghani sisters, for example, were recently rushed to the burn center after their portable heater broke down and ignited the entire house. Medical and volunteer staff members took quick steps to evaluate their condition and launch treatments. "We get children like this all the time," says Staff Sgt. Ronald Payne of the 14th Combat Support Hospital. Afghans tend to rely on butane or fuel heaters during the winter months, but Afghan cultural specialist Sultan Ahmed says some of the fuels are mixed with gasoline. At one point, 14 patients were being treated by five teams of medical staff and volunteers, according to Payne. He asserts that the bulk of the work is done by the volunteers, such as seven fire fighters from the FOB Salerno Fire Department. Base Assistant Fire Chief John Bailey finds the work satisfying and appreciates the perspective he has gained from volunteering at the burn center. "We're the ones who pull people out of fires and this gives us a different view of what happens when we hand the patient over to medical personnel," Bailey says. "We see what the patient goes through, and being a part of the treatment process gives me a different outlook. My favorite part of volunteering is not seeing the patients anymore because they've gotten better and gone home."

"New Studies From University of Washington, U.S., Outlined"
Life Science Weekly (01/16/07) P. 613

A study from researchers at the University of Washington led by H.G. Hoffman found that virtual reality (VR) helmets can be used to reduce pain during painful procedures, such as during burn wound care. "Adjunctive virtual reality distraction can substantially reduce procedural pain," wrote Hoffman and colleagues. The study involved the use of a higher quality VR helmet (with a 60-degree field-of-view head-mounted display) in comparison to a lower quality VR helmet (with a 35-degree field-of-view head-mounted display). A total of 77 volunteers ages 18 to 23 were divided into three randomly selected groups, and each group was subjected to a short thermal pain stimulus while wearing the helmets and while not. The results indicate that 29 percent of participants using the Low-Tech helmet and 65 percent of participants in the High-Tech helmet group displayed a clinically notable reduction in pain during virtual reality sessions. As a result, the researchers concluded that using a higher quality VR helmet can help enhance the use of VR as an analgesia when used in conjunction with typical opioids.

"Two Simple Leg Net Devices Designed to Protect Lower-Extremity Skin Grafts and Donor Sites and Prevent Decubitus Ulcer"
Journal of Burn Care & Research (02/01/2007) Vol. 28, No. 1, P. 115; Hedman, Travis L.; Chapman, Ted T.; Dewey, William S.

Researchers have developed a high-profile and low-profile leg net positioning device that in use on about 250 patients successfully prevented pressure ulcers from forming and minimized graft loss and donor site morbidity as well as edema. The devices, made from copper wire and a double layer of elasticized tubular netting, are easy to make and use and can be placed on any bed surface. The netting can be changed when dirtied and the frame disinfected using routine methods. The devices can be used concurrently with other positioning tools.

© Copyright 2007 INFORMATION, INC.