The use of urinary bladder matrix in the treatment of complicated open wounds.

Background: Management of complicated open wounds represents a challenge when reconstructive options are not applicable. Urinary bladder matrix (UBM) provides a biocompatible material that allows inductivetissue remodeling.

Methods: The use of urinary bladder matrix inthe treatment of 5 patients with complicated open wounds that failed toheal with conventional therapy is presented.

The Use of Fetal Bovine Dermal Scaffold (PriMatrix) in the Management of Full-Thickness Hand Burns.

Objective: Management of full-thickness burn wounds represents a challenge when reconstructive options are not applicable. Fetal bovine dermal matrix is a bioactive collagen scaffold that assimilates into wounds and stimulates vascularization and dermal regeneration.

Methods: We present the use of fetal bovine dermal scaffold PriMatrix in the treatment of a patient who sustained scald-immersion full-thickness burns of her bilateral hands that failed conventional wound therapy.

The Simplified Acute Physiology Score III Is Superior to the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II in Predicting Surgical and ICU Mortality in the "Oldest Old".

Elderly patients in the USA account for 26-50% of all intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. The applicability of validated ICU scoring systems to predict outcomes in the "Oldest Old" is poorly documented. We evaluated the utility of three commonly used ICU scoring systems (SAPS II, SAPS III, and APACHE II) to predict clinical outcomes in patients > 90 years.