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Burn Foundation Briefings
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"Sand Springs Firefighter
State's Pick for IAFF National Burn Camp"
"Research From
Shriners Hospital for Children Yields New Data on Antimicrobials"
"People's Burn
Foundation Among Supporters on Capitol Hill Raising Awareness at Launch of
National Campus Fire Safety Month"
"Sony Recalls
Thousands of Vaio PCs Over Burn Risk"
"OSU Burn Center Finds
Silver Lining in Healing Process"
"Ft. Wayne Hospital
Opens Burn Clinic"
"Research From
University of Chicago Provides New Data on Burn Care"
"Burn Basics to Help
Treat Adults and Children"
"Contractures in Burn
Injury Part II: Investigating Joints of the Hand"
"Researchers Develop
Toy-Tool to Distract Infant Burn Victims From Pain"
"Research Results from
University of Washington Update Understanding of Burn Care Research"
"Fire and Burn Hazards
for Two Recalled Products"
"Findings in Burn Care
Research Reported From University of Berlin"
"VCU Researchers Will
Study Wound Treatment"
"Nutrition Support in
Burns--Is There Consistency in Practice?"
"Sand
Springs Firefighter State's Pick for IAFF National Burn Camp"
360Tulsa.com (08/30/08) Hughes, Dustin
Fire fighters
often must witness children with severe burn injuries, and many travel to
youth burn camps to help burn survivors deal with the emotional pain that
often lingers long after an injury is healed. Sand Springs, Okla., fire
fighter Barry Molencupp will represent the state in a week-long national
camp held by the International Association of Fire Fighters, and will bring
a child burn survivor along for activities such as visiting the
Smithsonian, National Zoo, and the White House. "They get to just have
a good time," Molencupp said. "They can feel comfortable, and not
have to be looked at." He volunteers at Oklahoma's state burn camp and
is a member of IAFF Local 1273.
"Research From Shriners Hospital for Children
Yields New Data on Antimicrobials"
Drug Law Weekly (09/09/08) P. 240; McFarland, K.L.
Cultured
skin substitutes (CSS) can be used to help with closure in skin grafting
for patients with serious burn injuries, offering a good defense against
microbial invasion and stimulation of adaptive immunity. Researchers used
gene microarrays to evaluate the effects of cytokine stimulation on
expression levels, and found that cultured skin expressed many
antimicrobial protein genes, including human beta defensins 1 and 2 and
S100A12 and the antiviral gene APOBEC3G, which was up-regulated by
interleukin-1 alpha and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Cytokine treatment
also induced expression of cathelicidin. CSS cells can affect the
activation of inflammatory response, researchers found, and concluded that
cultured human skin can offer similar defense mechanisms as native skin.
Cytokine stimulation, then, could increase innate immunity to fight
microbial infections after skin grafting.
"People's Burn Foundation Among Supporters on
Capitol Hill Raising Awareness at Launch of National Campus Fire Safety
Month"
PRNewswire (09/08/08)
The
People's Burn Foundation of Indiana and more than 40 fire safety
organizations came together on Sept. 9 in Washington, D.C., to kick off
National Campus Fire Safety Month. Working to prevent fires through
education, the People's Burn Foundation is releasing "To Hell and Back
III: College Fire Survival." The previous two installments of the
video program focused on fire and burn safety for fire fighters. Fire
chiefs, campus officials, and education specialists united to put together
the third installment, which is available online or to show to groups. The
People's Burn Foundation wants to make the program a requirement at all
college and university freshman orientation sessions. Six universities
already plan to have their incoming freshmen go through the online training
part. The program was released after President Bush enacted the Campus Fire
Safety Right-to-Know Act in August, which mandates colleges and
universities publicize fire safety data each year and share it with the
U.S. Secretary of Education.
"Sony Recalls Thousands of Vaio PCs Over Burn
Risk"
PC Magazine (09/04/08)
Sony
announced Sept. 4 that it will recall 73,000 laptop computers sold between
July 2007 and August 2008 due to a possible burn risk. The U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission says "irregularly positioned wires near the
computer's hinge and/or a dislodged screw inside the hinge can cause a
short circuit and overheating. This poses a burn hazard to consumers."
The Vaio models being recalled include the VGN-TZ100 series, VGN-TZ200
series, VGN-TZ300 series, and VGN-TZ2000 series, with screen sizes of about
11.1 inches measured diagonally. A total of 15 cases of overheating have
been reported by consumers, according to Sony, including one minor burn.
"OSU Burn Center Finds Silver Lining in Healing
Process"
Media Newswire (09/03/08)
In a
recent study, Ohio State University Medical Center's Burn Center tested how
well various topical wound dressings work with magnetic resonance images
(MRIs). Researchers concluded that dressings can be kept in place during an
MRI and will not cause the body surface temperature to rise or trigger
inaccurate readings on the MRI image. Silver-based dressings are intended
to be placed on a burn patient's wound until it has healed, but product
package inserts advocate taking the dressing off prior to an MRI procedure,
though there is no concrete evidence to back this suggestion.
"Repeated removal of a patient's dressing disrupts the wound site,
delaying the wound healing process and increasing the risk of
infection," said Dr. Sidney Miller, director of the burn center.
"Ft. Wayne Hospital Opens Burn Clinic"
WIBC 93.1 (09/02/08)
Saint
Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., has opened its new outpatient burn and
wound clinic. The $7 million Regional Burn Center is outfitted with 12
private inpatient rooms, 12 exam rooms, and larger treatment areas. The
clinic was built to accommodate the growing patient base of the hospital's
current burn center. In 2007, Saint Joseph's reported about 6,000
outpatient burn visits and 7,000 outpatient wound visits.
"Research From University of Chicago Provides
New Data on Burn Care"
Pharma Law Weekly (09/02/08) P. 572; Dalal, N.D.
A new study
of burn injuries offers a method to treat burns at the cellular level,
where burn damage disrupts the cell membrane and denaturing proteins.
Copolymer surfactants can repair the cell membrane, acting as molecular
chaperones to help denatured proteins back to their original shape,
researchers found. This evidence indicates that pharmaceuticals could be
developed to repair cell membranes and refold proteins to save cells
damaged by burn injuries.
"Burn Basics to Help Treat Adults and
Children"
Centre Daily Times (PA) (09/01/08) Smith, Amy Kossoff
Scalds
are the leading cause of accidental death among children through age four,
and parents should educate themselves on how to treat burn injuries so that
they can prepare for the unexpected circumstance of having to treat a
child’s burn. According to the Arizona Burn Center at Maricopa Medical
Center, the first few minutes after an injury can make a big difference in
how severe the injury becomes. The first thing to do is to quickly cool the
injured area. This involves removing the source of heat, removing all
burned clothes because they may retain heat, and pouring cool water over
the injury. The cool-water treatment should continue for at least five
minutes, or in the case of chemical burns, up to 40 minutes. Ointments or
butter should never be applied, because they may cause infection and cause
deeper injury. Swelling will begin quickly, so all jewelry should be
removed, especially from around the neck. A clean, dry dressing or sheet
should then be applied, and the injured person should be kept warm and
brought to a medical facility as soon as possible.
"Contractures in Burn Injury Part II:
Investigating Joints of the Hand"
Journal of Burn Care & Research (08/01/2008) Vol. 29, No. 4, P. 606;
Schneider, Jeffrey C.; Holavanahalli, Radha; Helm, Phala
The aim
of the research profiled here was to examine the incidence and severity of
hand contractures after burn injury. The researchers sought to pinpoint the
predictors of contracture development; they looked at prospective data
collected on adult burn survivors from 1993 to 2002 from a regional burn
center. Data on metacarpal-phalangeal, proximal inter-phalangeal (PIP), and
distal inter-phalangeal joints of all digits and the wrist joints were
included. Regression analysis was done to determine predictors of the
presence, severity, and number of contractures. Of the 985 study patients,
23 percent had at least one hand contracture at hospital discharge. Those
with a contracture averaged 10 contractures per person, of which most were
mild (48 percent) or moderate (41 percent) in severity. The wrist was the
most frequently affected joint (22 percent). Key predictors of contracture
development were concomitant medical problems, total body surface area
grafted, and presence of hand burn and hand grafting. Predictors of the
number of contractures include length of stay, concomitant medical
problems, burn size, and presence of hand burn and grafting. These
predictors can be used to customize interventions for patients at risk of
developing hand contractures.
"Researchers Develop Toy-Tool to Distract Infant
Burn Victims From Pain"
Thaindian News (08/28/08)
The
pain of having burn dressings changed may get a little easier to deal with
now that researchers in Australia have developed “Ditto,” a diversionary
therapy aid designed to distract children during bandage changes. Inspired
by virtual reality, Ditto is a circular device that the child holds to
navigate the virtual world; the device is less cumbersome than a traditional
keyboard. With a touch screen and handles, the child can choose a character
and explore stories and sing-along movies. The user can see the virtual
world from all angles and even lift objects to look underneath them.
Testing has shown that the device reduces pain scores more effectively than
videos or computer games, according to creator Sam Bucolo of the Queensland
University of Technology.
"Research Results from University of Washington
Update Understanding of Burn Care Research"
Hospital Law Weekly (08/28/08) P. 220
M.B.
Klein and colleagues at the University of Washington have conducted the
study, "Hospital Costs Associated With Pediatric Burn Injury."
The team reviewed the charges for pediatric patients admitted to the
university's Burn Center from 1994 to 2004, examining the relationship
between baseline patient, injury, hospital course characteristics, and
total costs. A total of 1,443 patients under the age of 16 were admitted,
and the overall mean hospital cost in 2005 dollars was $9,026 (SD = $25,483;
median = $2,138). The only patient or injury factor significantly
associated with higher costs on multivariate analysis was in the area of
full thickness burn, and when adjusted for total overall burn size, no
single anatomic area was connected to higher costs. The severity of injury
had the biggest impact on index costs following pediatric burn injury.
"Further studies defining the long-term societal costs impact of burn
injury are needed as are studies that evaluate the impact of burn injury on
quality of life," the team concludes.
"Fire and Burn Hazards for Two Recalled
Products"
WWMT Newschannel 3 (08/27/08)
Car
chargers for halogen spotlights and coffee makers sold at K-Mart and Sears
have been recalled. The maker of the chargers, IMS, says the chargers and
spotlight batteries were not made to be used together and can cause a fire
when the light overcharges. Kenmore, meanwhile, has had 145,000 of its
coffee makers recalled after retailers received reports of coffee makers
overheating and catching fire because of faulty wiring. The coffee makers
were sold between August 2007 and April 2008.
"Findings in Burn Care Research Reported From
University of Berlin"
Anti-Infectives Week (08/25/08) P. 75
A new
burn study records the effects of post-traumatic growth inventory (PTG) on
people with severe burn injuries. The study looked at 146 burn patients who
completed the post-traumatic growth inventory and other self-support
inventories that evaluated coping, quality of life, mental distress, and
social support. "Similar to other populations who experienced trauma
and adversity, burn survivors also report PTG. The strongest predictors for
PTG were active coping and social support. Gender and age differences were
found in the current study," wrote lead researcher C. Rosenbach and
colleagues.
"VCU Researchers Will Study Wound
Treatment"
Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) (08/20/08) P. B6; Kapsidelis, Karin
The
U.S. Army has awarded a three-year, $1.5 million grant to a Virginia
Commonwealth University research group to study new technologies for wound
treatment. With the grant, VCU's Reanimation, Engineering and Shock Center
will research a naturally occurring hormone called androstenediol that
helps the wound healing process. In addition to preventing radiation poisoning,
the hormone is biologically designed to fight viral, bacterial, and fungal
infections. Robert F. Diegelmann, professor of biochemistry, anatomy, and
emergency medicine, says the military has much to gain from the research
because the complex injuries military personnel incur in battle are likely
to become infected. The research will also help with burn and trauma
injuries among civilians.
"Nutrition Support in Burns--Is There
Consistency in Practice?"
Journal of Burn Care & Research (08/01/2008) Vol. 29, No. 4, P. 561;
Masters, Bronwen; Wood, Fiona
One of the key components of managing a burn is
nutrition support, but there is significant confusion about the best
feeding approaches due to conflicting study results. The aim of the
research discussed here was to assess the nutrition support practices in
six U.S. and seven Australian burn units. The researchers found that in
general, dietitians had a good understanding of the hypermetabolic response
and increased nutritional requirements of burn patients. However,
inconsistency was apparent in several areas, such as the fat and
carbohydrate content of enteral formulas, the indications for use of total
parenteral nutrition, the use of immunonutrition in enteral nutrition, and
the best strategies for peri-operative feeding. Greater consistency was
found in the methods used for estimating energy requirements, although more
widespread use of indirect calorimetry would be of benefit. The need for
high energy and high protein enteral feeds was recognized across all
exemplars in the study. In addition, the limitations of common nutritional
markers was understood and managed by the use of numerous markers.
The
inclusion of articles in the IAFF Burn Foundation Briefing does not imply
the IAFF or IAFF Burn Foundation's endorsement of their content nor any
particular organizations or programs highlighted in these articles.
Articles are intended to increase awareness of media coverage of topics
relevant to our community and are provided for informational purposes only.
© Copyright 2008 INFORMATION, INC.
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