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Volume XXIII |
Number 2 |
June 2010 |
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Summaries
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A NEW ERA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BURNS TRAUMA IN KUMASI, GHANA
(AGBENORKU P., AKPALOO J., YALLEY D., APPIAH A. - GHANA)
The aim of the study was to investigate the factors affecting the outcome of treatment of burns patients admitted to the Burns Intensive Care Unit (BICU) of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. Information on patients admitted to the BICU from February 2001 to January 2006 was recorded. Parameters recorded included: admission record and demographics, causes of the injury, burned surface area, laboratory investigations, treatment regime, and record of discharge/death. The data were analysed with SPSS version 12.0 and Spearman's rank correlation. A total of 826 patients were recorded; males (n = 492, 60%) outnumbered females (n= 334, 40%). The mean age was 10.5 ± 5 yr, the majority (n = 441, 53%) in the range 0-10 yr. Flame burns (n = 587, 71%), scalds (n = 209, 25%), and chemicals (n = 19, 2%) were the three significant causes of burn injuries. The mean range of the total body surface area (TBSA) burned was 11-20%; 94% (n = 775) had up to 60% TBSA; 64% (n = 527) had only wound dressings for treatment; 21% (n = 174) had early excision with skin grafting, while 15% (n = 125) had delayed excision with skin grafting. The majority (n = 563, 68%) of the patients stayed for less than 10 days after admission. The mortality rate fell over the years, decreasing drastically between 2001 (20.4%) and 2002 (8.6%) and remaining at single digit level in 2003 (7.6%), 2004 (7.9%), and 2005 (7.4 %). The factors affecting the mortality trends were proper case management, increases in the number of professional medical personnel, and their greater dedication. |
| 67 |
EPILEPSY AND FULL-THICKNESS BURNS
(BOTAN A. - ROMANIA)
This paper presents various aspects of severe burns involving epileptic patients, who may suffer dramatic accidents during seizure attacks. Epileptics may fall onto an open fire or hot surface (e.g. a kitchen range) and they may upset containers full of boiling liquids, suffering deep burns and scalds. In our experience in this field, the most commonly affected body areas are the face and hands, the trunk, and the lower limbs. All such injuries are full-thickness burns, owing to the very long contact of the skin surface with the lesional agent. Three cases are presented of epileptics with severe burns who were admitted to the Burn Unit of Targu Mures Teaching Hospital, Romania, where they were hospitalized; conservative debridement using polyurethanefoam (PUR-foam) dressings was the standard procedure, which all the patients received. Split-thickness skin grafting was the final method for closing the granulating bed resulting from the conservative debridement. We have found that conservative debridement using PUR-foam dressings is a cheaper and more reliable alternative than sharp debridement (which may remove healthy tissue at the same time as burn eschars).
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| 72 |
BRÛLURE ET GROSSESSE: À PROPOS DE DEUX CAS ET REVUE DE LA LITTÉRATURE
(KHALES A., ACHBOUK A., SIAH S., IHRAI H. - MAROC)
Les brûlures thermiques au cours de la grossesse sont rares, cependant elles requièrent une attention particulière du fait qu'elles engagent le pronostic maternel et foetal. Les Auteurs rapportent deux observations qui illustrent la gravité de cette association. Le traitement des brûlures pendant la grossesse connaît des particularités en rapport avec les modifications anatomiques et physiologiques de la gestation. Certains Auteurs ont préconisé des recommandations, comme en particulier le traitement précoce de la thrombose veineuse et la surveillance obstétricale avec un accouchement dirigé à l'approche du terme. La mortalité maternelle et périnatale augmente significativement à partir de 50% de la surface corporelle brûlée. De ce fait une prise en charge multidisciplinaire est indispensable. Le pronostic de brûlure chez la femme enceinte reste très réservé, d'où l'intérêt d'une prise en charge multidisciplinaire réunissant obstétricien, réanimateur et plasticien.
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| 75 |
LES CICATRICES RÉTRACTILES POST-BRÛLURES DU MEMBRE INFÉRIEUR CHEZ L'ENFANT
(SANKALE A.A., MANYACKA MA NYEMB P., COULIBALY N.F., NDIAYE A., NDOYE M. - SÉNÉGAL)
Il s'agit d'une étude faisant ressortir les aspects épidémiologiques, cliniques et thérapeutiques des séquelles de brûlures du membre inférieur chez l'enfant, à propos de 42 cas colligés au service de chirurgie infantile de l'Hôpital Aristide Le Dantec (Sénégal). L'âge moyen retrouvé est de 5 ans et 3 mois, et le sex-ratio garçons/filles de 1,8/1. La brûlure thermique est causée par une flamme dans 33% des cas, par un liquide chaud dans 21% des cas, et par des braises dans 21% des cas. Les cicatrices rétractiles intéressent le genou et le creux poplité dans 47% des cas et le pied dans 45% des cas. Elles sont bilatérales dans 21% des cas, et concernent une autre localisation associée dans 21% des cas. Quant aux brides, 21% ont bénéficié d'une chirurgie, avec un délai moyen de 3 ans et 2 mois après la brûlure. Cette procédure chirurgicale consiste en une plastie en Z dans 91% des cas, à laquelle est associée une greffe de peau dans 54% des cas. Une rééducation fonctionnelle est pratiquée chez 54% des opérés. Parallèlement aux données de la littérature, nos résultats montrent que l'optimisation de la prise en charge passe par une meilleure prévention des accidents domestiques et une bonne codification thérapeutique.
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| 81 |
A CASE OF TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS (TEN) WITH SEVERE CHRONIC OCULAR COMPLICATIONS IN A HEALTHY 46-YEAR-OLD WOMAN
(VOLTAN A., AZZENA B. - ITALY)
Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), also known as Lyell's syndrome, is a severe drug reaction characterized by extensive destruction of the epidermis and mucosal epithelia. The eyes are typically involved in TEN. The precise pathomechanisms involved remain unknown. We present a case of toxic epidermal necrolysis in a healthy 46-yr-old female patient who had inhaled glycophosphate (herbicide) and was treated with paracetamol, aspirin, and chlorpheniramine. Thirty-five per cent of the skin area was affected by the syndrome, with involvement of conjunctival, gastrointestinal, and respiratory mucous membranes. Topical treatment was performed every day and the patient did not undergo surgery. Complete wound healing was achieved in 47 days. There were acute complications, consisting of infection of the skin areas (Candida), gastrointestinal bleeding, pleural effusion, and severe ocular mucous membrane damage. The most serious chronic complication was the presence of significant opacity of the corneal epithelium, causing almost complete loss of vision. According to the data in the literature, ocular complications in TEN are frequent and are present in the majority of the patients studied, but are not often severe. Risk factors for the development of ocular complications are not known. Ocular sequelae may appear after the acute period and they can be extremely disabling, even causing almost complete loss of vision. Treatment includes corticosteroids and topical antibiotic therapy in the acute phase and if necessary corneal transplantation in the event of chronic damage to the corneal epithelium.
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TRENDS IN NOSOCOMIAL BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS IN A BURN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT: AN EIGHT-YEAR SURVEY
(ZORGANI A., FRANKA R.A., ZAIDI M.M., ALSHWEREF U.M., ELGMATI M. - LIBYA)
This study was designed to evaluate the frequency and profile of bloodstream infection (BSI) in a burn intensive care unit (BICU) in Tripoli, Libya, from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2007 and to determine the prevalence of different bacteria involved in such infections and their antimicrobial susceptibilities. During the eight-year study period, 995 patients were admitted to the BICU. Blood cultures were collected from each septicaemic case and reviewed for age, sex, total body surface area burned, isolated micro-organisms, and antibiotic sensitivity. There were 430 episodes of BSI among 830 cases; the annual true positive rate varied between 40.0 and 59.4%, the majority (87.9%) being caused by one species only. However, 22% had two or more episodes with different pathogens during hospitalization. The leading isolate was Staphylococcus aureus (40.4%) (methicillinresistant, 55.7%). Pseudomonas spp ranked second (23.9%). Klebsiella spp were third, responsible for 7.4%; the rate of extended spectrum beta lactamase among Klebsiella isolates was 47%. Candida spp were the fourth most common pathogen (6.7%), the majority (55%) being C. albicans. Staphylococci were generally resistant to trimethoprim (91%) and fusidic acid (80%). Pseudomonas spp proved moderately resistant (38-43%) to tobramicin, ciprofloxacin, amikacin, and impenem but remained relatively susceptible to cefepime (72%). Klebsiella isolates demonstrated moderate resistance (46-58%) to most agents tested, and relatively low resistance (19-27%) to meropenem, impenem, and cefepime. We suggest that extra infection control measures should be implemented and antibiotic policy and guidelines introduced to reduce the high resistance rate among isolates such as Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and MRSA.
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| 95 |
CALCIUM POLYURONATE DRESSING SUPPLEMENTED WITH ZINC AND MANGANESE (TRIONIC®) IN NECROTIZING DERMOHYPODERMITIS OF THE EXTREMITIES: A RANDOMIZED MULTICENTRE STUDY
(DANINO A.M., GUBERMAN S., MONDIÉ J.-M., JEBRANE A., SERVANT J.-M. - CANADA)
Background. For the burn surgeon, the treatment of necrotizing soft tissue infections is one of the most demanding surgical emergencies, requiring "radical excisions" of the infected tissue and reconstruction. During the infection period, the excised sites are treated with application of gauzes soaked in saline solution. When the septic period is over, the excision sites are usually covered by sterile paraffin gauze dressing. Our aim was to evaluate a new calcium polyuronate dressing enriched with zinc and manganese ions (test group) versus the reference therapeutic combination (control group) from the septic period to the grafting of skin. Materials and methods. A multicentre, prospective, controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted from November 2003 to July 2005. The primary endpoint was the waiting period for carrying out the skin graft and the percentage of grafted patients at 28 days after the last excision. The secondary endpoints were blood loss, exudates amounts, and pain during dressing changes. Results. Twenty-five patients were included, 14 with the new dressing and 11 with the reference therapeutic combination. The average waiting period for skin graft was 18 days in the test group versus 27.1 days in the control group (p = 0.128). All the patients in the test group received their grafts within 28 days after the last excision, compared with 60% (p = 0.043) in the control group. Bleeding during dressing change was statistically lower in the test group: 45.5% of the patients did not bleed compared with 0% in the control group (p = 0.045). Treatments were well tolerated. Conclusion. The properties of this new calcium polyuronate enriched with zinc and manganese ions seem to accelerate granulation tissue development, allowing skin grafting earlier in favourable conditions with less bleeding and less pain during dressing renewal
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| 102 |
ETECTION OF A GENTAMICIN-RESISTANT BURN WOUND STRAIN OF PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA BUT SENSITIVE TO HONEY AND GARCINIA KOLA (HECKEL) SEED EXTRACT
(ADELEKE O.E., COKER M.E., OKE O.B. - NIGERIA)
Studies on Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus intermedius from dog and cat, and also on Staphylococcus aureus
from wound and pyoderma infections, have shown a correlation between the site of microbial infection and antimicrobial susceptibility.
Both the methanolic extract concentrate of Garcinia kola (Heckel) seeds and natural honey have been associated with activity on bacterial isolates from respiratory tract infections. In this study, selected bacteria belonging to genera from burn wound infection sites were treated with natural honey and methanolic extract concentrate of Garcinia kola in antimicrobial susceptibility tests separately and in combined form, and also with gentamicin and methanol as controls. The two natural products were found to be active on the bacterial isolates, excluding Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, all of which showed resistance to honey. Combination forms of the two natural products were active only on the strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. At 4 and 8 mg/ml, gentamicin was ineffective on the three strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae while 8 mg/ml was moderately active on only two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. One strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, UCH002, was resistant to gentamicin beyond 1,000 mg/ml. Gentamicin at 4 mg/ml was inhibitory to one strain of Escherichia coli and two strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Though the antimicrobial activity of the two natural products tested had been previously reported against microbial agents of respiratory tract infection, it was also recorded in this study. The lack of activity of each of the three honey types used in this study against the Klebsiella pneumoniae strains tested underscores the need to exclude this organism from burn wound infections before embarking on treatment with honey. The sensitivity of one high-level gentamicin-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to honey and Garcinia kola seed extract was noteworthy considering the therapeutic failures of gentamicin and other antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
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| 106 |
PLACE DU LAMBEAU INTEROSSEUX POSTÉRIEUR DANS SA VARIANTE APONEVROTIQUE DANS LE TRAITEMENT DES SÉQUELLES DE BRÛLURE DE LA FACE DORSALE DE LA MAIN
(ACHBOUK A., KHALES A., OUFKIR A., IHRAI H. - MAROC)
Le lambeau interosseux postérieur dans sa variante aponévrotique est un outil très intéressant dans le traitement des séquelles de brûlures de la face dorsale de la main. Les Auteurs cherchent, à travers un cas clinique et une revue de la littérature, à replacer cette variante dans l'arsenal thérapeutique.
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