BACKGROUND Military burns result from either combat or non-combat causes. We compared these etiologies from patients involved in ongoing conflicts to evaluate their impact and provide prevention recommendations. METHODS All military patients with significant burns treated at the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research from April 2003 to May 2005 were reviewed. Injuries were categori...

OBJECTIVE To analyze bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens of burn victims who inhaled smoke, in order to identify alterations associated with mortality or survival. METHODS Eighteen victims of facial burns were submitted to BAL up to 24 h after the event. We investigated cell and protein content, including TNF-alpha, HLA-DR, CD14, CD68 and iNOS. RESULTS Of the 18 patients submitted to bro...

DESCRIPTION A 56-year-old woman was admitted with 17% total body surface area deep burns. Intubated en route to the hospital for possible inhalation injury and remained intubated for 9 days due to her underlying pulmonary history. Her hospital course was complicated by an occipital lesion discovered during a routine dressing change (Fig 1).

Anhydrous ammonia, a widespread industrial chemical, can cause severe inhalation and ophthalmic injuries, as well as cutaneous burns. We present five patients with ammonia injury treated at our burn center after an explosion in a warehouse. The challenges inherent in managing the pulmonary complications of this injury are emphasized.

Smoke inhalation injury is a serious medical problem that increases morbidity and mortality after severe burns. However, relatively little attention has been paid to this devastating condition, and the bulk of research is limited to preclinical basic science studies. Moreover, no worldwide consensus criteria exist for its diagnosis, severity grading, and prognosis. Therapeutic approaches are hi...

Health effects of acute exposure • The main routes of exposure to hydrogen chloride are via inhalation, or skin or eye contact and exposure to hydrochloric acid is predominantly by ingestion, or skin or eye contact • Inhalation may cause irritation to nose and upper respiratory tract, ulceration, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Higher concentrations cause tachypnoea, pulmonar...

OBJECTIVE To establish baseline values of pneumonia incidence and mortality and to distinguish primary endogenous from secondary endogenous and exogenous pneumonias in a homogeneous patient population with severe burns. DESIGN Cohort study. SETTING A six-bed burn ICU. PATIENTS All patients of > or = 14 years admitted to the ICU between January 1995 and June 1996 with a total body surface ...

Aim For patients with inhalation injury, the indications for early intubation are diverse. The purpose of this study was to identify the most reliable symptoms, physical findings, and medical examinations with which to determine the indications for early intubation in patients with inhalation injury. Methods We retrospectively collected patient data from medical records. Collected data includ...

Mortality rate of burn patients can serve as an objective criterion for quality control and as a measure for research and preventive programs. A prospective study of burn victims, from data of burn registry program, was conducted to determine the etiology, risk factors of mortality and outcome of pediatric burns. We had 514 patients below 15 years old. Burns caused by scalding were the most fre...

Burns are common accidents among the paediatric population and mainly concern children under five years of age or adolescents. They represent the second-highest most common cause of accidental mortality in children. They can be of a diverse nature: thermal, chemical, electrical or by inhalation that accompanies 20-35% of cutaneous burns. The majority of paediatric burns happen at home and in th...