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Biomedical subjects

D M Heimbach

Publications and source records attributed to D M Heimbach.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Early ambulation and discharge in 100 patients with burns of the foot treated by grafts.

Traditional treatment after grafting of foot, ankle, and lower leg burns is bedrest, limb elevation, and gradual ambulation only after 5 to 10 days. In 1982 we suggested that aggressive surgical treatment and early ambulation could shorten hospital stay and decrease morbidity. Our treatment of these burns is excision and grafting, application of an Unna (dome paste) boot immediately in the operating room or the next morning, with normal ambulation 4 hours later and discharge of the patient if there are no other reasons for continued hospitalization. This paper reports the continuation of this plan in 100 patients treated since 1982 with a mean age of 28.8 +/- 16.9 (SD) years and burn size of 3.7% +/- 4.4%. Sheet grafts were applied to 64% with a 96% take and narrowly meshed grafts to 36% with a 97% take. Results were excellent in 85 patients, satisfactory in ten, and poor in three who required another graft. Return to work was in 4.7 +/- 3 weeks. Unna boot application permits immediate ambulation, avoids frequent dressing changes, permits a brief or no hospital stay, and provides excellent graft take with prompt return to work.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1992

Iliofemoral venous thrombosis following fascial excision of a deep burn of the lower extremity: case report.

Burned patients with deep venous thrombosis present a particularly perplexing challenge. They frequently require central venous catheters. Their altered skin integrity does not permit correlation with the typical changes described by the classic terminology for thrombophlebitis or its most severe forms, phlegmasia cerulea dolens or phlegmasia alba dolens. They are at risk of exsanguination or massive graft loss with lytic therapy or anticoagulation. Venous thrombectomy may be a necessary limb-saving surgical option.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Laboratory monitoring of nutritional status in burn patients.

Most nutrition laboratory testing relies on serum concentrations of ingested nutrients, their coenzymes, proteins, or lipids. Alternatively, functional tests measure a specific physiological process or biochemical reaction. We compared these two approaches to nutritional assessment in intensive-care burn patients, in whom the serum concentrations of transthyretin (prealbumin), albumin, transferrin, carotene, retinol, ascorbic acid, copper, cholesterol, iron, and calcium were all below established reference ranges. In contrast, serum triglyceride concentrations were often above the reference range. Functional tests for thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and iron (by zinc protoporphyrin/heme ratio) in these patients all showed normal values. Dietary intake, weight trends, and nitrogen balances all indicated that these patients' estimated caloric and protein needs had been met. These findings suggest that static measurements of serum concentrations may be unreliable indicators of nutritional status in burn patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Tap water burn prevention: the effect of legislation.

Five years after a 1983 Washington State law required new water heaters to be preset at 49 degrees C (120 degrees F), 77% of homes (84% of homes with postlaw and 70% of homes with prelaw water heaters) had tap water temperatures of less than 54 degrees C. In 1977, 80% of homes had tap water temperatures greater than 54 degrees C. Mean temperature in 1988 was 50 degrees C compared with 61 degrees C in 1977. Both changes were significant compared with 1977 temperatures. Few people increased their heater temperature after installation. Eighteen burn victims were identified from July 1979 through May 1988, for an average admission rate of 2.4 per year, compared with 5.5 per year in the 1970s. Compared with the 1970s, total body surface area burned, mortality, grafting, scarring, and length of hospital stay were all reduced, while the likelihood that scald burns were the result of child abuse increased to 50%. Both education campaigns and legislation have resulted in significantly safer water temperatures. Further, this change seems to have resulted in a reduction in frequency, morbidity, and mortality of tap water burn injuries in children. Lower water heater settings proved acceptable to the consumer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Outcome and treatment of electrical injury with immediate median and ulnar nerve palsy at the wrist: a retrospective review and a survey of members of the American Burn Association.

Electrical injury to the upper extremity with immediate median and ulnar nerve palsy at the wrist is uncommon but devastating. When it does occur, the immediate clinical questions are (1) will the nerves recover, and (2) should the carpal tunnel and Guyon's canal be released? Our review of the literature did not answer these two questions. Therefore, we reviewed our experience with such patients and surveyed approximately 10% of the physician members of the American Burn Association. We reviewed approximately 80 patients with electrical injuries treated between January 1983 and September 1988, and found 5 patients (8 extremities) who did not require amputation and who manifested immediate palsy of the median and ulnar nerves at the wrist. The questionnaire was returned by 83% of those contacted. We concluded that such nerve palsies can recover to a significant degree and that a majority of surgeons would release the carpal tunnel and Guyon's canal, expecting improved recovery. Although it is still not proven whether decompression is beneficial, we will continue to decompress the carpal tunnel and Guyon's canal in such circumstances.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Neurologic consequences of electrical burns.

Permanent neurologic damage following major electric injury is a dreaded and often discussed complication. The incidence, severity, and sequelae are not clear from the literature. Therefore we reviewed the charts of 90 consecutive patients admitted to the University of Washington Burn Center between 1980 and 1986 looking at neurologic consequences. Electric injuries accounted for 4% of 2,305 admissions. The mean age was 31 +/- 13 years, total body surface area involved (TBSA), 6 +/- 11%, and length of stay, 13 +/- 20 days. There were 82 males and eight females. There were four deaths, for a mortality rate of 4%. Fourteen patients had 18 amputations. Twenty-two patients sustained low-voltage injury; 50% had immediate neurologic symptoms which resolved in nine of 11 patients. Eleven patients (50%) were asymptomatic. Sixty-four patients sustained high-voltage injury and 33% were asymptomatic. Forty-three patients (67%) had immediate central and/or peripheral neurologic symptoms. Loss of consciousness accounted for the largest fraction of CNS sequelae in the high-voltage group (45%). Twenty-three patients (79%) recovered consciousness before arrival at the hospital. Six patients remained comatose, three died, and three awoke but had neurologic sequelae. Twenty-two patients in the high-voltage group had one or more acute peripheral neuropathies. Sixty-four per cent of these neuropathies resolved or improved. Five patients had transient initial paralysis, but there were no delayed spinal cord symptoms. Eleven patients developed one or more delayed peripheral neuropathies. Half of these delayed neuropathies resolved or improved.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Effect of thermal injury on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of atracurium in humans.

Thermal injury causes resistance to many nondepolarizing muscle relaxants including d-tubocurarine, metocurine, pancuronium, and atracurium. To evaluate the role of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in this phenomenon, the disposition and effect of atracurium (0.5 mg/kg iv) were studied in thermally injured patients (5 males, 16-43 yr) in comparison with that in nonburned control patients (3 males, 1 female, 24-53 yr). The decline of plasma atracurium concentration with time was biexponential in both groups of patients. There were no significant differences in the mean value of any pharmacokinetic parameter (clearance, V1, V beta, alpha and beta half-lives). The time course of effect was also similar, although the maximum twitch depression was significantly smaller (66.1% vs. 100% maximal twitch depression) and time to recover to 50% of maximal twitch depression was significantly shorter (14.2 vs. 52 min) in thermally injured patients. Patients with thermal injury had an EC50 (plasma concentration of atracurium required for 50% of the maximum possible response) 3.4 times that of control patients. Plasma-free fraction of atracurium in the thermally injured patients was 75% that in controls, and free EC50 (the product of free fraction and EC50) of the thermally injured group was 2.7 times that of controls. The results of this study confirm a pharmacodynamic mechanism for the majority of resistance to atracurium, with a diminished free fraction in plasma also contributing to this effect.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The "sponge deformity" after tangential excision and grafting of burns.

Sequential excision and grafting of burns have resulted in several new problems. We have termed one of these the "sponge deformity," i.e., a grafted area where, in multiple small areas, the bed heals underneath the graft with or without slough of the overlying graft. If the graft sloughs, a pockmark forms. If the graft does not slough, an overlying bridge forms. In our experience, this deformity is very troublesome to patients because it is difficult to wash, catches on objects, bleeds, and looks quite unsightly. Between February of 1981 and June of 1986, we treated 16 patients with this deformity. All 16 patients were treated by simple excision of the bridges and pockmark edges with a curved iris scissors. In all patients, the wounds healed well and the resultant surfaces were considerably smoother. This retrospective review of the patients suggests that the deformity usually occurs around the periphery of the excised area where the excision was shallower and when thicker grafts are used. Perhaps the bed underneath the graft epithelializes from residual epithelial elements prior to vascularization of the autograft. If this is true, it might be possible to prevent the deformity by excising the wound deeper, by applying thinner grafts, or by applying allograft or xenograft, expecting that the area will heal promptly and not require autografting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Toxic epidermal necrolysis. A comprehensive approach. Multidisciplinary management in a burn center.

Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) is a life-threatening disorder with reported mortality rates of 25-60 percent in pediatric patients. The authors report on their experience in managing six children using a standardized treatment protocol in the intensive care unit of a regional burn center. Areas of sloughed skin were covered with porcine xenograft (pig skin) until reepithelialization was complete. There was one death in the series, and one child had ophthalmologic complications. Treatment in a multidisciplinary burn center is recommended for children with TEN.

Burn Units↗
PubMed1988

Candida. A decreasing problem for the burned patient?

Multiple recent reports have suggested that Candida wound infection and sepsis are major complications of severe burn injury. Our current burn treatment plans include aggressive early burn excision and grafting, avoidance of invasive monitoring and central hyperalimentation lines, enteral nystatin, and judicious use of antibiotics. A retrospective review of 168 severely burned patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Washington Burn Center, Seattle, during the 18-month period from June 1984 through December 1985 was undertaken. Thirteen percent of these patients had one or more cultures positive for Candida from any site. Three patients (1.8%) developed Candida sepsis, which was diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs of sepsis, a positive blood culture for Candida, and at least two additional culture sites positive for Candida. All three patients were treated with amphotericin B. One of these patients died of Candida sepsis, for an overall mortality of 0.6%. Therefore, Candida septicemia was not a major cause of morbidity or mortality in our burn patients in the Intensive Care Unit during this 18-month period under the current management regimen.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Inhalation injuries.

Inhalation injuries occur in approximately one-third of all major burns and account for a significant number of deaths in those burn patients each year. Victims die as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, hypoxia, and smoke inhalation. These deaths can occur without thermal wounds as well as with burn injuries. There are three distinct problems with inhalation injuries: thermal burns of the upper airway, carbon monoxide poisoning, and smoke inhalation. Each has different symptoms and signs, different treatment, and different prognosis. Thermal burns occurring in the upper airway are usually manifested within 48 hours of injury. Diagnosis is made by direct visualization of the upper airway, looking for signs of thermal injury. Admission for observation with humidified oxygen, attentive pulmonary toilet, bronchodilators as needed, and prophylactic endotracheal intubation as indicated are the mainstays of treatment. Resolution of the injury usually occurs within days. Carbon monoxide poisoning, the most common cause of death in inhalation injury, is a result of combustion. Symptoms and signs correlate with blood levels, but arterial blood gases are used to determine the degree of carbon monoxide intoxication. Treatment is based on the principle that carbon monoxide dissociation occurs much faster if the patient is placed on 100% oxygen. Occasionally the patient's symptoms may persist or get worse despite adequate treatment. Smoke inhalation significantly damages normal respiratory physiology, resulting in injury progressing from acute pulmonary insufficiency to pulmonary edema to bronchopneumonia, depending on the severity of exposure. Diagnosis is based on history, but clinical findings, arterial blood gases, and fiberoptic bronchoscopy are helpful. Treatment is supportive with careful attention paid to fluid resuscitation in the patient with burns.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Burns, Inhalation↗
PubMed1988

Cardiopulmonary responses after spontaneous inhalation of Douglas fir smoke in goats.

In the majority of clinical cases, smoke inhalation results in a self-limited lung injury mostly confined to the airways. In this study, an animal model of inhalation injury was developed that reflected similar pathophysiology. Cardiopulmonary parameters were studied in awake, instrumented goats following spontaneous inhalation of characterized Douglas fir smoke. Peak carboxyhemoglobin levels averaged 37% during a mean exposure time of 33 minutes. All animals survived the 24-hour study period, and showed only transient abnormalities in lung fluid balance and gas exchange, with no change in lung mechanics or plasma eicosanoid (TxB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha) levels. However, extravascular lung water at 24 hours was increased 33%, suggesting the presence of some airway edema and retained secretions. We feel this model fairly represents the majority of clinical smoke inhalation cases. This model is compared to other large animal inhalation injury models producing more severe lung injury.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗
PubMed1988

A comparison of intramarginal and extramarginal excision of hypertrophic burn scars.

Hypertrophic scarring is common in burn patients. The treatment of such scarring is difficult, and recurrence of the hypertrophic changes after scar revision is not uncommon. It has been suggested that intramarginal excision diminishes the chances of recurrent hypertrophic scarring, but we could not find any papers in the literature actually comparing intramarginal and extramarginal excisions. We therefore reviewed our experience with intramarginal and extramarginal excision of hypertrophic scars. Between October 30, 1979, and March 26, 1986, we excised 50 hypertrophic scars in 23 burn patients. Thirty-one (62 percent) of the excisions were intramarginal and 19 (38 percent) were extramarginal. We compared the results and observed that the intramarginal excisions yielded better results than the extramarginal excisions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Toxic epidermal necrolysis. A step forward in treatment.

Toxic epidermal necrolysis is an uncommon but severe form of epidermal sloughing with associated mucositis. Treated in a general hospital, it carries a high mortality (25% to 70%) and substantial long-term morbidity. If the patient is referred early to a burn center, where it can be treated with biologic dressings and intensive support care, the mortality can be reduced below 20% and there may be negligible long-term morbidity. We describe 19 patients so treated, with three deaths and no long-term complications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Clostridium difficile diarrhea in critically ill burned patients.

We followed up 112 patients in the University of Washington Burn Center, Seattle, for the development of Clostridium difficile diarrhea. Diarrhea developed in 20 patients with a mean burn size of 42%, mean age of 38 years, and 49 mean total antibiotic days, for an incidence of 17%. Eleven patients had 16 episodes of nonspecific diarrhea. Nine patients had 11 episodes of C difficile-positive diarrhea and 15 episodes of nonspecific diarrhea for an incidence of 45% of all patients with diarrhea. There were no differences in patient age, burn size, or length of stay between the groups. When the 31 episodes of nonspecific diarrhea were compared with the 11 episodes of C difficile diarrhea, there were no differences between the groups in temperature, albumin levels, or total number of antibiotic days preceding the episodes of diarrhea. The only significant finding that differed between the two types of diarrhea was the white blood cell count on the day of diagnosis. The nonspecific diarrhea was self-limited, requiring antimotility agents in 45% of the episodes. The C difficile diarrhea responded promptly to vancomycin hydrochloride, with resolution of symptoms in an average of 3.3 days. There were two recurrences, and both responded to a second course of vancomycin.

Adolescent↗