Publications by authors named "Michelle Kiser"
Background: Limited therapeutic options exist for rectal and vaginal venous malformations (VM). We describe our center's experience using Nd:YAG laser for targeted ablation of abnormal veins to treat mucosally involved pelvic VM.
Methods: Records of patients undergoing non-contact Nd:YAG laser therapy of pelvic VM at a tertiary children's hospital were reviewed.
Objective: While psychological care, including supportive group therapy, is a mainstay of burn treatment in the developed world, few reports of support groups for burn survivors and their caregivers in the developing world exist. This study records the findings of a support group in Malawi and provides a qualitative analysis of thematic content discussed by burn survivors and caregivers.
Materials And Methods: We established a support group for burn survivors and caregivers from February-May 2012 in the burn unit at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi.
Background: One of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals is to improve child health. We describe the burden of pediatric surgical disease at a tertiary hospital in Malawi.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a pediatric surgery database at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi for the calendar year 2012.
Background: Specialized pediatric surgeons are unavailable in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Delegating some surgical tasks to non-physician clinical officers can mitigate the dependence of a health system on highly skilled clinicians for specific services.
Methods: We performed a case-control study examining pediatric surgical cases over a 12 month period.
Background: Although interpersonal violence ("assault") exists in every society, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 90 % of the exposure burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries. The objectives of this study were to define the incidence of assault-related injuries among subjects presenting for emergency room care secondary to sustained trauma in Lilongwe, Malawi; to measure the impact of sex on incidence, injury type, and care received; and to measure the effect of both sex and geographic location of the injury on time to presentation for medical care.
Methods: This is a retrospective cohort analysis of data prospectively collected in the Kamuzu Central Hospital Trauma Surveillance Registry from July 2008 to December 2010 (n = 23,625).
Background: Burns are among the most devastating of all injuries and a major global public health crisis, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In developed countries, aggressive management of burns continues to lower overall mortality and increase lethal total body surface area (TBSA) at which 50% of patients die (LA50). However, lack of resources and inadequate infrastructure significantly impede such improvements in developing countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Pediatric injuries pose a significant health burden in sub-Saharan Africa, though historic data are too scarce to appreciate the extent of the problem. The purpose of this study is to utilize a comprehensive database to describe the epidemiology of pediatric injuries at a tertiary hospital in Malawi.
Methods: Data were prospectively collected on patients presenting to the emergency department for treatment of injuries from 2008 to 2010 (n = 23,625).
Objective: To validate the use of photographic burn wound assessment in evaluation of burn size and wound characteristics.
Methods: Feasibility study of agreement between methods of measurement of burn size and characteristics, in patients admitted to the burn unit at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), Malawi, over two months in 2011. Burn wounds were photographed and assessed clinically, concurrently, by an experienced clinician.
Purpose: Although previous studies have investigated the impact of weather and temporal factors on incidence of trauma admissions, there is a paucity of data describing the effect of seasonal change on burn injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the changing seasons on admissions to and resource utilization at an accredited burn center, with the goal of optimizing patient throughput and matching supply with demand.
Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all burn admissions to an accredited, regional burn center, from Summer 2009 through Spring 2010.
Rationale: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) is associated with poor pulmonary outcomes in cystic fibrosis (CF), but the association between age of Pa infection and severity of subsequent lung disease has not been thoroughly investigated.
Objective: Our goal was to determine the association between age of Pa acquisition and subsequent severity of CF lung disease.
Methods: Case-control study using CF Foundation Registry data of 629 ΔF508 homozygotes with severe and mild lung disease (FEV1 in the lowest and highest quartile of birth cohort, respectively).