Two cases of Vibrio vulnificus primary sepsis / 中华烧伤杂志

This article analyzed the medical records of two patients with Vibrio vulnificus primary sepsis who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University and reviewed the latest literature. On November 6, 2019, a 54-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital. The patient's lower limbs were red, swollen, and painful with ecchymosis and hemorrhagic bullae after he ate freshwater products. The emergency fasciotomy was performed 3 h after admission, and the multiple organ failure occurred after operation. The patient was given up treatment 24 h after admission. On August 12, 2020, a 73-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital. He was in shock state on admission and had hemorrhagic bullae on his right lower limb after he ate seafood. At 3 h post admission, he underwent emergency surgical exploration and amputation of right thigh. Six days later, he received negative pressure wound treatment on the stump. On the 13th day post admission, his families forgo the active treatment and he died 15 d after admission. The two cases were both failed to be diagnosed at the first time, and the disease progressed rapidly. Necrotizing fasciitis and multiple organ failure occurred. After the diagnosis was confirmed, timely fasciotomy and high amputation were performed respectively. The microbiological examinations both reported Vibrio vulnificus. Although the 2 cases were not cured successfully, the course of disease and some indexes of patient with early amputation were better than those of patients with fasciotomy. Vibrio vulnificus is widely distributed and frequently detected in fresh water products. The pathogenic pathway is fuzzy and complex, and it is easy to be misdiagnosed. It is necessary to establish the treatment process of Vibrio vulnificus sepsis. Early and aggressive surgical intervention should be carried out as soon as possible, fasciotomy and debridement should be thorough, and the patients with hemorrhagic bullae should be amputated early. Postoperative comprehensive measures are also important for improving the survival rate of patients.

The direct hospitalisation costs of paediatric scalds: 2-year results of a prospective case series.

OBJECTIVE: To reveal the characteristic and distribution of length of hospital stay (LOS) and direct hospitalisation costs of paediatric scald. METHODS: A prospective case series observation was performed from January 2005 to December 2006 at the Burn Center, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, China. The information, such as demographics, clinical diagnosis and treatments since admission, of the paediatric scald patients included in the series was recorded. The direct cost of a treatment event was recorded into the price system when it was incurred. All cost data were summarised on completion of the study. The distribution of LOS and the hospitalisation costs were recorded by gender, age, total burn area, depth of burn, blood transfusion and patterns of treatment. Mann-Whitney signed-rank test was used to assess the differences between continuous, non-normally distributed variables, and multiple linear regression was used to model LOS and direct hospitalisation costs. Statistical analyses were undertaken with SPSS 15.0 statistical software. RESULTS: Patients aged 3 years or less accounted for more than half of the total LOS and hospitalisation costs, patients with burn area less than 10%TBSA (total burn surface area) accounted for more than 70% of the total LOS and more than half of the hospitalisation costs and patients with second-degree burn accounted for more than 78% of the total LOS and hospitalisation costs. Depth of burn, area of burn, patterns of treatment and blood transfusion were independent predictors of LOS; whereas LOS, area of burn and blood transfusion were independent predictors of hospitalisation costs. CONCLUSION: Paediatric scalds have particular characteristics in terms of distribution of LOS and direct hospitalisation costs and the factors influencing them. The data presented in this study should assist burn care practitioners and hospital epidemiologists estimate and compare the economic burden of paediatric burns at other institutions; it may also be useful in resource allocation and cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment versus prevention strategies.

Repair of deep burn and traumatic wounds in lower extremities with combined transplantation of multiple pedicled skin flaps / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the clinical experience in repair of deep burn and traumatic wounds with combined transplantation of different types of pedicled skin flaps in lower extremities.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two hundred and thirty-six patients with 271 deep wounds in lower extremities after burn or trauma were repaired with muscular skin flaps, local fascial flaps and island flaps with vascular pedicle (more than 20 types) in our department from Jan. 1998 to Sept. 2008.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Complete necrosis of skin flaps occurred in 1 case, congestion and necrosis over the edge of skin flaps occurred in 3 cases, which were healed after grafting, and other skin flaps survived well with soft texture. Skin flaps were too bulky in 26 cases, among them 17 cases were thinned, and the appearance of other skin flaps were satisfactory. In 68 patients with functional region injury were recovered to certain extent without contracture.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Skin flaps with pedicles, multiple transplantations if necessary, can repair deep wounds satisfactorily in lower extremities after deep burn or trauma injury.</p>

The use of transesophageal echo-Doppler device in the management of burns / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the validity of transesophageal echo-Doppler technique for hemodynamic monitoring of patients with extensive burns during shock stage to provide guidance for fluid resuscitation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mongrel dogs were inflicted with 50% TBSA full-thickness burns. Cardiac output (CO) were determined by Swan-Ganz catheter, and other hemodynamic indices by transesophageal echo-Doppler device, including aortic blood flow (ABF), stroke volume (SVa), left ventricle ejection time (LVET), peak velocity (PV), max acceleration (max ACC), total systemic vascular resistance (TSVR) were collected before and after burns. Hemodynamic indices of ten patients with extensive burns were collected by transesophageal echo-Doppler device with in 24 hours after the injury.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both CO and ABF showed continuous decrease after burns, and there was positive correlation between them (r = 0.90, P < 0.01). The myocardiac contractibility (ACC, PV) and the preload of the left ventricle (LVET) were also decreased continuously after bums,but the postburn afterload (TSVR) were obviously increased. For the patients with conventional therapy, the hemodynamic state of low cardiac output and high peripheral resistance during early period was converted to high cardiac output and low peripheral resistance 24 hours after injury.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Transesophageal echo-Doppler technique is useful in monitoring hemodynamic in patients with extensive burn, and it is non-invasive, real-time, synchronized and rapid, and it can provide complete profile of hemodynamic data.</p>