Surviving Sepsis After Burn Campaign.

Introduction: The Surviving Sepsis Campaign was developed to improve outcomes for all patients with sepsis. Despite sepsis being the primary cause of death after thermal injury, burns have always been excluded from the Surviving Sepsis efforts. To improve sepsis outcomes in burn patients, an international group of burn experts developed the Surviving Sepsis After Burn Campaign (SSABC) as a testable guideline to improve burn sepsis outcomes.

Anabolic and anticatabolic agents used in burn care: What is known and what is yet to be learned.

Major thermal injury induces profound metabolic derangements secondary to an inflammatory "stress-induced" hormonal environment. Several pharmacological interventions have been tested in an effort to halt the hypermetabolic response to severe burns. Insulin, insulin growth factor 1, insulin growth factor binding protein 3, metformin, human growth hormone, thyroid hormones, testosterone, oxandrolone, and propranolol, among others, have been proposed to have anabolic or anticatabolic effects.

Tensioned reverse abdominoplasty.

Background: Deformities of the upper portion of the abdominal wall can be difficult to solve, as in many cases abdominoplasties or mini-abdominoplasties lead to unsatisfactory results. Direct approaches to this region through inframammary incisions can be a good therapeutic option, once adequate patient selection has been performed and certain surgical principles are followed.

Methods: This technique should be primarily indicated for patients complaining of skin laxity predominantly in the upper abdomen and for patients who will have such excess after liposuction.

Study of global left atrial shortening in fetuses of diabetic mothers.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that left atrial shortening fraction is lower in fetuses of diabetic mothers than in fetuses of mothers with no systemic disease.

Methods: Forty-two fetuses of mothers with previous diabetes or gestational diabetes and 39 healthy fetuses of mothers with no systemic disease (controls) underwent echocardiographic examination. Their gestational ages ranged from 25 weeks to term.

Mobility of the Septum primum does not depend on the foramen ovale diameter in normal fetuses.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that a correlation exists between the maximum foramen ovale diastolic diameter and the excursion index (EI) of the septum primum in normal fetuses.

Methods: One hundred and two normal fetuses with gestational ages ranging from 20 to 40 weeks were submitted to echocardiography. The foramen ovale diameter and the "maximal excursion" of the septum primum were measured in a 4-chamber view.

Ductus venosus flow and myocardial hypertrophy in fetuses of diabetic mothers.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that the pulsatility index of ductus venosus (PIDV) is greater in the fetuses of diabetic mothers (FDM) with myocardial hypertrophy (MH) than in the FDM with no MH and in the control fetuses of nondiabetic mothers (FNDM). Comparing the results with mitral and tricuspid diastolic peak flows.

Methods: The cross-sectional study included fetuses with gestational ages ranging from 20 weeks to term, divided into the following 3 groups: 56 FDM with MH (group I), 36 FDM with no MH (group II), and 53 FNDM (group III, control).

Pulmonary vein pulsatility in fetuses of diabetic mothers: prenatal Doppler echocardiographic study.

Objective: To verify the hypothesis that the pulmonary vein pulsatility index is higher in fetuses of diabetic mothers than it is in normal fetuses of nondiabetic mothers.

Methods: Twenty-four fetuses of mothers with either gestational or previous diabetes (cases), and 25 normal fetuses of mothers without systemic disease (control) were examined. Fetuses were examined through prenatal Doppler and color flow mapping.