Improvements in Burn Care, 1965 to 1979

Abstract

Data from the National Burn Information Exchange indicate that the quality of burn care in the United States is improving in the participating health care facilities. Case reports of 37,442 patients collected between 1965 and 1979 from 120 burn care facilities have been examined. These data show that overall survival rates are increasing and hospitalization times are decreasing at all levels of burn severity. The changes are associated with a trend toward more timely wound closure for full-thickness burns and are evident in the majority of hospitals studied. Tables of current survival rates and hospitalization times, by patient age and size of burn, are presented.

The Pattern and Outcome of Burn Injuries at a Burn Unit in Saudi Arabia: Retrospective Analysis of Consecutive 501 Patients

“…The inverse relationship between the extent of burn and survival probability shown in our series is a wellestablished observation [22,23].…”

APACHE II Scoring in Surgical Upper Gastrointestinal Emergencies

“…The Glasgow Coma Scale is well en trenched in the daily practice of all those concerned in the care of head injury [24], while Child's [25] grading system remains of unquestionable value in the assessment of patients with acute complications of liver disease. Other less frequently used scoring systems are those designed specifically for trauma [26], burns [27], surgical sepsis [28], and acute pancreatitis [29]. Two trends are apparent in the current literature: the multi plication of 'personal scoring systems' in such conditions as upper gastrointestinal bleeding [30], perforated duodenal ulcer [31], and choledocholithiasis [32], and 'per sonal modifications' of an already existing scoring system.…”

Predicting outcome in critical care

“…'~ For patients with acute bums, the Burn Index measures severity by taking into account the extent of surface area burned. 5 The level of neurologic function is the major determinant for assessing severity of acute head injury using the Glasgow Coma Score. For the vast majority of ICU patients, severity of disease implies the degree of physiologic disturbance and is measured by acute physiologic change~.…”