Epidemiology and Outcome of Chemical Burn Patients Admitted in Burn Unit of JNMC Hospital, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India: A 5-year Experience.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the epidemiology, clinical variable of chemical burns, and their outcomes to prevent or reduce the frequency and morbidity of such injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on all the patients with chemical burns admitted at author's center between November 2008 and December 2013. All the patients were evaluated in terms of age, sex, total body surface area, etiology, treatment given, morbidity, mortality, final outcome, and then educated regarding specific preventive measures. RESULTS: A total of 96 patients (2.4% of total burn admissions) (42 males and 54 females) were admitted to our hospital with chemical burn injuries. Most of the patients were in the age group of 16-30 years. Incidence in females was slightly higher than in males. Acid was found to be the most common cause of injury. We found 55% patients admitted had <10% total body surface area (TBSA) involvement, 35% had burns involving between 11 and 20% TBSA, and 4% had burns involving 21-30% TBSA, and 6% had burns in >30% TBSA. Morbidity was noticed in the form of skin defect in 80% of cases, soft tissue defect with exposed tendon, bone, or vessels in 16% of cases, and 4% of patients developed contracture and hypertrophic scar. Eighty-six percent of patients required operative intervention. A total of three deaths (3%) were recorded. CONCLUSION: It was found that chemical burns, though not very common, are deeper burns and can be accidental or non-accidental, and the high-risk age group is 16-25 years. Chemical burns are largely preventable and if properly managed have a good outcome.

Modalities of soft-tissue coverage in diabetic foot ulcers.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to establish an algorithm for surgical reconstruction of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study MATERIALS AND METHODS: : In this series, 75 patients with diabetic foot ulceration were treated at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College from October 2008 to August 2013, and were retrospectively reviewed. All patients in the study underwent surgical reconstruction of the foot in the form of a skin graft, local flaps, or free flaps, depending upon the characteristic of the defect, general condition of the patient, and vascular status of the limb. The medical notes of the patients were retrospectively analyzed according to age, gender, ankle-brachial pressure index, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients (37%) underwent skin grafting, 39 (52%) underwent local pedicled flaps, and 8 (11%) underwent free flap transfers. Sixty-eight patients (91%) achieved complete healing, and amputation of the lower extremity could be avoided. With the exception of 1 patient who experienced ulcer recurrence within the following year and 6 patients in whom amputation of the lower extremity was performed, all patients healed completely. The mean hospital stay was 4.0 ± 1 week. CONCLUSIONS: From the results of this study, the authors conclude that radical debridement and soft-tissue cover in the form of a skin graft/flap is an effective method of managing DFUs.

Excision, skin grafting, corticosteroids, adjuvant radiotherapy, pressure therapy, and emancipation: the ESCAPE model for successful taming of giant auricular keloids.

The authors treated 24 giant auricular keloids (mean size, 11 cm) from January 2008 to July 2012 using a novel protocol consisting of complete excision, skin grafting, a 1-time intraoperative injection of triamcinolone, immediate radiotherapy, and sustained pressure therapy. At 1 year, the success rate was 87.5%.