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Biomedical subjects

S Pegg

Publications and source records attributed to S Pegg.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Chryseobacterium in burn wounds.

Chryseobacteria are gram negative organisms, formerly known as Flavobacteria, which rarely cause infections of burn wounds. This article documents three cases of Chryseobacterium infection in burn wounds and adds to the other two cases that have been reported in English literature. Two patients died, with one of the deaths linked to a Chryseobacteria bacteraemia. In two patients, there was an associated history of first aid treatment with untreated water. Patients whose burn wounds are suspected to be infected with Chryseobacterium require wound excision and coverage in combination with antibiotic therapy such as ciprofloxacin, vancomycin and rifampicin.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Cooking and oxygen. An explosive recipe.

BACKGROUND: Home oxygen therapy is commonly prescribed for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The risks of smoking while using this therapy have been well described. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the Royal Brisbane Hospital Burns Unit's experience and present case studies which illustrate the danger of alternative ignition sources while using home oxygen. DISCUSSION: The dangers of home oxygen therapy can be minimised by careful patient selection, education and ongoing monitoring.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed2000

Aeromonas wound infection in burns.

Infection of burn patients with the Aeromonas organism is an uncommon event. This paper documents four cases of Aeromonas hydrophila and one case involving both A. hydrophila and A. caviae occurring in burn patients between 1990 and 1998 at the Royal Brisbane Hospital burns unit. The organism was isolated from either skin swabs, tissue samples, blood cultures or cultured lines. In all patients there was a history of immersion in water immediately post burn. There is one case of invasion and destruction of deeper tissues and one fatality. Appropriate management requires a high index of suspicion if a history of immersion in untreated water post burn is given and the treatment involves aggressive excision and antibiotic therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Colonic pseudo-obstruction in burns patients.

Acute pseudo-obstruction is a rare complication in burns patients. An awareness of the factors implicated in its pathogenesis such as prolonged bed rest, narcotic medications, hypokalaemia, sepsis and surgery (all commonly associated with burns patients) is essential if this condition is to be avoided. Early diagnosis, prokinetic and cathartic agents, and aggressive endoscopic intervention are essential to halt the progression of caecal dilatation. Excisional surgery and stoma formation are necessary for salvage of complicated colonic pseudo-obstruction.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1994

Are thermolabile splints a source of nosocomial infection?

The aim of this study was to determine whether thermolabile splints used on burned patients became colonized with microbes from the underlying burn or were capable of contaminating burn wounds, and to determine whether the current thermoplastic splint decontamination regimen was effective at removing contaminating bacteria. One hundred and thirty-one standardized swab samples were collected from 28 splints before and after cleaning, and from burn wounds of 10 patients. Qualitative bacterial cultures and identification of isolates were performed. Just over one third of all splints sampled before cleaning were contaminated with bacteria. This compared with over half of the burn wound samples and 17% of the splints sampled after cleaning. Most of the isolates were Gram-positive species including coagulase-negative staphylococci (18), Staphylococcus aureus (12), Bacillus spp. (17) and one isolate of viridans streptococcus. Only five Gram-negative isolates were detected. On only one occasion did the wound and the splint before cleaning have the same organism isolated. Cold disinfection every 24 h was adequate to decontaminate thermolabile splints used on burn patients provided the burn bacterial count was low and care was taken to handle the splints in order to avoid re-contaminating them with health care workers' flora. Thermolabile splints could be a source of burn colonization microbes, but with adequate ward cleaning they were not found to be a problem in our practice.

Burns↗
PubMed1993

Burn injuries in the elderly.

This study has shown that elderly males were more likely to be admitted to the Royal Brisbane Hospital Burns Unit than females. No high-risk period of the day, week or year could be identified for this group. Flame burns and scalds were most common as was the association with cooking and bathing activities. Predisposing factors were found to be common in the elderly burn population. Prevention programmes need to be directed to the home with safer cooking facilities and lower temperature or temperature outlet controls to lessen bathing scalds, as these patients found it difficult to escape a hot bath. Mortality rates were related to the percentage total body surface area burned and inhalation injury, and were well predicted by the Burn Severity Index. Complications were mainly pneumonias and venous thrombosis and reflect the need in this age group of maintaining active mobility and a quick resolution of the burn injury. Good nutrition, often lacking in this age group, must be maintained, along with meticulous wound care if infection is to be prevented. Early wound coverage is vital to prevent sepsis. Our approach is towards an early skin grafting programme while the patient is fit. This is aggressive, with as much skin coverage as possible, before the patient's condition deteriorates. Every effort is made to maintain the patient's health as near normal as possible. However, if deterioration occurs, then the patient is supported and grafting delayed until the patient is again fit for surgery. When this study was undertaken, it was hoped that an answer to the controversial subject of early versus late surgery could be answered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Burns.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Postburn dyspigmentation: its assessment, management, and relationship to scarring--a review of the literature.

Dyspigmentation often arises after deep partial- or full-thickness burns, and assessment of postburn scarring traditionally includes pigmentation. However, the relationship between dyspigmentation and scarring remains unclear. The physiologic basis of dyspigmentation has often been disregarded, and in pathologic states, its origin has been assumed to be in the epidermal melanin. Greater understanding of dyspigmentation among clinicians is required to increase knowledge and accuracy of assessment. This article aims to review the physiologic basis of pigmentation, and address the assessment, preventative management, and treatment options for postburn dyspigmentation.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The functional outcome of children after a burn injury: a pilot study.

Assessment of functional outcome can be used as a measure of the effectiveness of intervention during recovery from a burn injury. This pilot study identifies the factors that are likely to be most important for determining standardized functional outcome measures for children after a burn injury; it highlights the contribution of these factors to variations in children's postburn outcomes. A focus group of 8 parents and a self-report questionnaire administered to 12 children and 13 parents were the means of obtaining information for this exploratory study. Itching was found to be one of the primary impairments that contributed to reduced functional outcome during skin healing after a burn injury. The activities of children who had been burned that were most frequently affected by the injury (as reported by parents) were schoolwork and sports; these were closely followed by sleeping, playing with other children, and unliked activities. Least affected activities were enjoying the family, eating, seeing friends, watching television, and bathing or showering. Eighty-five percent of parents reported at least some level of interference with the listed daily activities. Burn injuries are likely to cause interference with several aspects of a patient's daily life. As a result, families require ongoing support and monitoring. Further research should longitudinally compare the performance of children who have been burned with other children and adolescents.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Getting it right: appropriate therapeutic recreation programs for community based consumers of mental health services.

Over the last two decades in Australia, the deinstitutionalization process, which began with the intent of moving consumers of mental health services from in-patient facilities and then seeking to integrate these same individuals into the community, has served to highlight a wide range of consumer needs that have remained largely unfulfilled throughout the process. One such need has been the provision of appropriate therapeutic recreation programs for the community based consumers of the various state co-ordinated mental health services. This paper argues a case for a change in the approach which professional staff provide and lead therapeutic recreation based programs to enable participants to be empowered, rather than disempowered, through their involvement. Further, this paper contends that there is a need for health care staff, more generally, to accept the concept of such programs for the community based consumers of various mental health services as a valued one.

Australia↗