A Pilot Study to Validate the Burn Center Pediatric Early Warning Score Tool in Clinical Practice.

The pediatric early warning score (PEWS) tool helps providers to detect subtle clinical deterioration in non-intensive care unit pediatric patients and intervene early to prevent significant adverse outcomes. Although widely used in general pediatrics, limited studies report on its validation; none report on use with burn-injured patients. New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center modified a general PEWS system to a burn-specific PEWS and integrated its use into standard practice.

Simulation of Tangential Excision: A Test for Construct Validity.

A foundational skill in burn surgery is tangential excision (TE). The purpose of this study was to develop a simulation model for TE, hypothesizing that simulation could be used in surgical training. TE simulation was created using the TE knife, foam, mineral oil, and base.

Pediatric sink-bathing: a risk for scald burns.

Our burn center previously reported a significant incidence of scald burns from tap water among patients treated at the center. However, mechanism of these scalds was not investigated in detail. A recent series of pediatric patients who sustained scalds while bathing in the sink was noted.

New management strategy for fluid resuscitation: quantifying volume in the first 48 hours after burn injury.

This study evaluated a 24-hour resuscitation protocol, established a formula to quantify resuscitation volume for the second 24 hours, described the relationship between the first and second 24 hours, and identified which patients required high volumes. A protocol for patients with burn >15% TBSA was implemented in 2009. Initial fluid was based on the Parkland calculation and adjusted to meet a goal urine output.

Burn disaster response planning in New York City: updated recommendations for best practices.

Since its inception in 2006, the New York City (NYC) Task Force for Patients with Burns has continued to develop a city-wide and regional response plan that addressed the triage, treatment, transportation of 50/million (400) adult and pediatric victims for 3 to 5 days after a large-scale burn disaster within NYC until such time that a burn center bed and transportation could be secured. The following presents updated recommendations on these planning efforts. Previously published literature, project deliverables, and meeting documents for the period of 2009-2010 were reviewed.

Burn survivors' perceptions of rehabilitation.

Background: The perspectives of burn survivors offer a powerful tool in assessing the efficacy of burn therapy interventions and methods. Despite this potential wealth of data, comprehensive analysis of burn survivor feedback remains largely uninvestigated and underdocumented. The aim of this study was to evaluate specific burn therapy interventions based on the opinions of a sample of the burn community.

Engaging older adults in burn prevention education: results of a community-based urban initiative.

The objective of the study is to educate New York City seniors aged 60 years and older about fire safety and burn prevention through the use of a community-based, culturally sensitive delivery platform. The ultimate goal is to reduce burn injury morbidity and mortality among this at-risk population. Programming was developed and provided to older adults attending community-based senior centers.

The Potential of Gaming in Rehabilitation of the Burn-Injured Patient.

The use of videogames for non-entertainment purposes has interested educational and behavioral researchers for decades. Recent technology advances have increased the interactivity of games while maintaining reasonable costs, leading rehabilitation therapists to investigate gaming consoles as an adjunct to traditional techniques. Obstacles to large-scale trials exist, but the transformative potential of gaming consoles should motivate developers and healthcare professionals to find solutions.

Use of Nintendo(®) Wii(™) in Physical Therapy of an Adult with Lower Extremity Burns.

Objective: The purpose of this exploratory case study is to describe differences in rehabilitation outcomes for a 47-year-old male with bilateral lower extremity burns when using conventional therapy techniques alone versus such techniques in combination with Nintendo(®) Wii™ (Nintendo of America, Inc., Redmond, WA) videogames.

Materials And Methods: The patient received three series of rehabilitation therapy over 2 weeks.

The utilization of Nintendo® Wii™ during burn rehabilitation: a pilot study.

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate feasibility and measure outcomes on pain, anxiety, active range of motion (AROM), function, enjoyment, and presence with the adjunctive use of Nintendo® Wii™ (Nintendo of America Inc., Redmond, WA) during acute burn rehabilitation. Participants were alternated and stratified based on the location of burn into Wii or control treatment groups.

Impact of diabetes on burn injury: preliminary results from prospective study.

Reducing diabetes mellitus complications has been a major focus for Healthy People 2010. A prior retrospective cohort of our burn center's admissions revealed worse outcomes among diabetic patients, that is, increased infection rates, grafting and graft complications, and increased length of hospital stay. Therefore, a prospective study has been designed to carefully assess wound repair and recovery of diabetic and nondiabetic burn patients.

The development of a regional system for care of the burn-injured patients.

Background: In the mid-20th century, it was recognized that patients with major burn injury required a dedicated, multidisciplinary team approach to receive optimal care. In the subsequent years, regionalized systems of care were developed to provide this level of care to the entire populations. There have been no reports on how an individual regional system evolved and the impact it had on the delivery of care for burn-injured patients.

Burn disaster response planning: an urban region's approach.

The objective of this study was to describe a draft response plan for the tiered triage, treatment, or transportation of 400 adult and pediatric victims (50/million population) of a burn disaster for the first 3 to 5 days after injury using regional resources. Review of meeting minutes and the 11 deliverables of the draft response plan was performed. The draft burn disaster response plan developed for NYC recommended: 1) City hospitals or regional burn centers within a 60-mile distance be designated as tiered Burn Disaster Receiving Hospitals (BDRH); 2) these hospitals be divided into a four-tier system, based on clinical resources; and 3) burn care supplies be provided to Tier 3 nonburn centers.

The impact of a legislative intervention to reduce tap water scald burns in an urban community.

To review the efficacy municipal legislation in the reduction of tap water scald burns among an urban population. A retrospective chart and database review of patients hospitalized at this burn center between July 1999 and June 2004 for treatment of tap water scalds were performed. Demographic information and injury details, including extent of injury and age, type and location of the dwelling in which the injury occurred, were reviewed.

Tap water scalds among seniors and the elderly: socio-economics and implications for prevention.

Introduction: Tap water scalds among those >or=60 years old are often attributed to physical impairments with aging. This study assesses socio-economics associated with tap water scalds among seniors and the elderly.

Methods: Charts of patients admitted to an urban Burn Center between 7/00 and 6/04 for treatment of tap water scalds were reviewed.

Therapeutic efficacy of a therapeutic cooking group from the patients' perspective.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the cooking group from the burn survivors' perspective. By incorporating concepts of kitchen skills, energy conservation, and desensitization techniques, the cooking group can assist patients with the functional use of their hands, standing tolerance, return to former vocational activities, and socialization with other patients. A questionnaire was developed based on commonly expressed benefits of cooking group.

The vulnerabilities of age: burns in children and older adults.

Background: Both children and older adults are thought to sustain burns serious enough to warrant hospitalization disproportionately more often than other age groups, but the incidence, injury characteristics, and outcome have not been precisely defined.

Methods: Patients hospitalized with a burn diagnosis were identified from hospital discharge data from California, Florida, New Jersey, and New York for the 5-year period 2000-2004.

Results: In those states, 60,024 residents were hospitalized with a diagnosis of burn and/or inhalation injury according to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes.

Burn-injured patients in a disaster: September 11th revisited.

We sought to review the steps taken by the New York Presbyterian Healthcare System to address disaster preparedness in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We reviewed the institutional records of emergency preparedness efforts, including improvements in infrastructure, employee education and training, and participation in intramural and extramural disaster response initiatives. We used a state discharge database to review burn injury triage within New York State (1995-2004).

Contact burns: is further prevention necessary?

Contact burns may result in severe burn injury due to prolonged transfer of heat from an object to the skin. Often, these burns occur with the use of household appliances and fixtures during routine activities of daily living. A retrospective review was performed.

Comparison of positive pressure gloves on hand function in adults with burns.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of a standard, custom-made pressure glove vs The NewYork-Presbyterian Dexterity Glove (NYPDG) with silon application on the palmer surface on functional hand use of burn survivors. A standard, custom-made pressure glove and NYPDG were given to 18 participants in a randomized order. Subjects wore each glove for 7 to 10 days during all activities of daily living (ADL).

Outpatient firefighter burn injuries: a 3-year review.

Previously, our Burn Center at the New-York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center reported a decline during a 10-year period in the number of firefighters requiring hospitalization for burn injuries, from 53 patients per year to 15 patients per year. Because the incidence of structural fires continued at a constant rate of 26,240 to 30,841 per year during this time, it was postulated that an improvement in protective gear accounted for the decrease in injuries. However, it also was possible that more firefighters were being treated on an outpatient basis.

Burn injury in patients with dementia: an impetus for prevention.

Current literature has reported an increase in the rates of morbidity and mortality in elderly dementia patients who have suffered from illnesses such as pneumonia or traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, and other insults. The role of dementia in elderly burn patients has not been studied in depth. To assess the extent of this problem, a retrospective, case-control study of patients with dementia who were admitted to a large urban burn center was performed.

A regional burn center's response to a disaster: September 11, 2001, and the days beyond.

This report reviews the response of a regional burn center to the disaster that occurred in New York City at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. In addition, it assesses that response in the context of other medical institutions in the region. There were facilities in the region that had 120 burn care beds; only two-thirds of the burn-injured patients who required hospital admission were admitted to designated burn centers, and only 28% of burn-injured victims initially were triaged to regional burn centers.

Car radiator burns: a prevention issue.

Scald burns continue to be the major cause of injury to patients admitted to the burn center. Scald burns occurring from car radiator fluid comprise a significant subgroup. Although manufacturer warning labels have been placed on car radiators, these burns continue to occur.