Early dermabrasion of deep dermal burns with sandpaper. Case reports.

Deep dermal burns are initially difficult to evaluate, and they sometimes heal spontaneously. We present our experience of dermabrasion with sandpaper in four patients. It is a useful alternative to early excision of the scar. Skin grafts are not always required and the aesthetic results are excellent. Dermabrasion should be considered routinely for all deep dermal burns and particularly for facial burns and those caused by scalds.

Assessment of 2 preventive antibiotic protocols in burned patients: retrospective and comparitive study between Fort de France (Martinique, FWI) and Lyon (France) - abstract

In a retrospective study, we performed two preventive antibiotic policies in 60 severly burned patients. All patients with a Burn Surface Area (BSA) of > 40 percent received ceftazidime-amikacin in Fort de France and piperacillin-netilmicin in Lyon. In Fort de France, 20 percent of patients developed septic shock with a mortality rate of 67 percent. Gram negative bacilli were always responsible for septic shock, of which 50 percent were resistant to initial antibiotics. In Fort de France, the bacteriological ecology in the burn centre showed less methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) than the hospital (p < 0.05) and the same sensitivity for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In Lyon, 37 percent of burn patients had septic shock with a mortality rate of 82 percent. In 91 percent, responsible isolates were multiresistant to initial antibiotics (p < 0.05). Bacteriological ecology of the burn centre was different from the hospital with a MRSA rate of 36.6 percent (p<0.02) and 54 percent of multiresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( p < 0.05). Preventive antibiotics appear to be ineffective in severely ill burned patients. (AU)

Early dermabrasion for deep dermal burns by means of sandpaper

Deep dermal burns are initially difficult to evaluate. They sometimes even undergo spontaneous healing. We present our own experience concerning the use of dermabrasion with sandpaper, a veritable alternative to early scar excision. Skin grafts are not always called for. The aesthetic results are excellent. Dermabrasion should be systematically considered for all deep dermal burns and particularly for scalding burn mechanisms or facial burns (AU)

Laryngeal mask airway and burned patients - abstract

During general anaesthesia of burned patients, airway control raises specific problems in patients with facial burns, when anaesthesia is required every other day and when grafts are done on the scalp. We studied 20 patients who required a total of 65 insertions of the laryngeal mask. There were no observed failures of insertion of the mask by either trained or untrained staff. Insertion of the mask is therefore easy even for untrained staff. Adequate ventilation was possible in all cases. There were no serious complications. The observed adverse effects were: sore throat, gastric dilation and dislodgement of the mask. It is concluded that this type of equipment should replace endotracheal intubation or facial masks in these clinical situations (AU)