[Patients with burns admitted to hospitals in 1992. Fewer cases and shorter length of stay also in Norway?]. / Brannskadede innlagt i sykehus i 1992. Faerre skadetilfeller og kortere liggetid også i Norge?

Patients admitted for care of acute burns in Norway in 1992 were compared with patients in an earlier national survey in 1977. In 1992, 635 patients were admitted for acute burns in Norway, 20% less than in 1977. 8,975 hospital days were spent on care of acute burns, a 45% reduction compared with 1977. 58 patients (10% of all burn cases admitted to hospital) were referred to the National Burn Centre in Bergen. The number of deaths from fire and burn injury was similar to the number in 1977 (68 persons). Despite a moderate reduction in the total number of burns we found no evidence of a significant reduction in the number of severe burns. To achieve optimal functional and cosmetic results, extensive burns still deserve the special care offered in a regional Burn Centre.

[Prevention of scars. A controlled long-term study of the effect of hydrocolloid occlusive bandages after thoracic surgery in children]. / Profylaktisk arrbehandling. En kontrollert langtidsstudie av effekten av hydrokolloid okklusiv bandasje etter thoraxkirurgi hos barn.

We examined the development of hypertrophic scarring in 38 children undergoing thoracic surgery. The patients were observed for average 14 months. A treatment group receiving hydrocolloid occlusive bandage (DuoDERM ConvaTec, Squibb) was compared with a control group. Although the difference between the groups did not reach statistical significance there was a clear tendency towards better prevention of hypertrophic scarring in the group treated with hydrocolloid occlusive bandage.

[Surgical treatment of burns]. / Kirurgisk behandling av brannskader.

At the National Burn Center at Haukeland Hospital, early excision and split skin grafting is a standard method for the treatment of extensive burns. In these cases it is important to be aggressive in the surgical treatment in order to avoid sepsis, multi-organic failure and death.