Major burn injury is not associated with acute traumatic coagulopathy.

Background: The pathophysiology and time course of coagulopathy after major burns are inadequately understood. Our study objectives were to determine whether acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) is seen in burn patients at admission and to determine the changes in international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), platelet count (PLT), and hemoglobin (Hgb) in the first 7 days after injury.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with burn injury of at least 15% total body surface area who presented to the University of North Carolina.

Blood utilization in patients with burn injury and association with clinical outcomes (CME).

Background: Uncontrolled bleeding is an important cause of increased transfusion in burn victims; however, description of blood utilization patterns in the burn population is lacking.

Study Design And Methods: We conducted a single-institution, retrospective cohort study to measure blood utilization in 89 consecutive burn patients with 15% to 65% total body surface area (TBSA) burn within 60 days of injury. We also evaluated the relationship of blood product utilization with clinical variables including anticoagulant usage and mortality.

Combination regimen of methylprednisolone, IV immunoglobulin, and plasmapheresis early in the treatment of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Early recognition of the disease is of paramount importance; however, treatment options are limited because only case reports and small series are available in the literature. We report a case of a 42 year-old previously healthy man, whom we treated successfully with a combination regimen of methylprednisolone, IV immunoglobulin, and plasmapheresis early in the course of the disease.