Treatment strategies for mass burn casualties transferred from a distance-clinical experience / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

This paper is to introduce our experiences in treating 2 batches of 13 burn victims transferred from remote areas on postburn days 3 and 4. Methods Thirteen burn victims of 2 mass casualties were transferred to our burns institute from remote areas on postburn days 3 and 4 on June 27, 2001 and June 2, 2002, respectively. There were 4 males and 9 females, age ranged from 20 to 43 years, with a mean age of 31.1±6.2 years. The mean total burn area was 74.3%±24.7% TBSA (range, 25% to 97%). Among them, 10 patients suffered from serious burn with mean total burn area involving 86.0%±11.5% TBSA (range, 60% to 97%), and mean full-thickness burn of 63.9%±26.3% TBSA. Four patients also manifested signs of severe inhalation injury, and 6 patients with moderate inhalation injury. In three patients with mean total burn area covering 35.5%±10.0% TBSA (range, 25% to 45%), with mean full-thickness burn of 15.3%±5.0%, were al having moderate inhalation injuries. Among these 13 patients, 3 were having high body temperature (39℃), while 3 manifested hypothermia. The heart rate was 140-160/min, and respiratory rate 26 to 32/min in 6 patients. Abdominal distension or loss of bowel sound were found in 4 patients. Low white cell and platelet count were found in some patients. In 13 cases, liver function, renal function, myocardiac enzyme, and coagulation function were abnormal. Results Among 13 burn victims, one patient died of myocarditis on postburn day 29, and another one died of hepatic failure (history of chronic hepatitis B) on postburn day 45 with only 2% TBSA of burn wound remained open. Conclusion Burns victims occurred in mass casualties who were transferred from remote areas to our Burns Institute were all in critical condition, usually with multiple complications, demanding most meticulous care. Our strategies in this regard consisted of dispatch of experienced surgeons and nurses to the referring hospitals and the airport to receive the patients to offer appropriate care to them during the journey,organization of the medical staff so that each of them was ordained specific function, thus conditions of the patients were evaluated immediately and appropriate treatment started expeditiously for those lethal complications on arrival. Timely and exact comprehensive treatments were prerequisite to save the patients’ life. Adequate metabolic support should be emphasized, and coagulant of anticoagulant treatment should be carried out when indicated.