Back to Search
Start Over
Life threatening burn injuries on holidays: problems of primary care, homeland referral and treatment at a domestic burn centre
- Source :
- Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries. 27(3)
- Publication Year :
- 2001
-
Abstract
- Life threatening burn injuries during vacations abroad raise special problems. Depending on the infrastructure of the country, adequate medical care can be delayed and communication between the patient and the medical staff is frequently impossible due to language barriers. Often the patient finds himself in a critical condition, isolated from supporting relatives and financial difficulties may occur. By summarising three cases referred to our centre, we aim to emphasise particularities of the primary management of burned victims at foreign hospitals, their transport, and following therapy at a domestic burn unit. Primary shock treatment and vital surgical interventions, e.g. escharotomy or treatment of the concomitant trauma, are subject to the facility of the hosting country. After management of the acute phase and initiation of local wound treatment, the next step should be to stabilise and prepare the patient for transport. Aeromedical transportation with physician attendency, as well as contact with a domestic burn centre can be established via responsible organisations. At the domestic hospital, every burn victim from abroad deserves special attention. Wound colonisation with different bacterial species or fungi than the usual spectrum of the centre and the risk of crossinfections should be taken in account of the treating medical team. An structure plan for appropriate and continuing surgical treatment is necessary to prevent deterioration of the patient's condition and to optimise wound closure with autologous skin grafts or allogenic materials.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Referral
medicine.medical_treatment
Burn Units
Poison control
Language barrier
Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
Suicide prevention
Occupational safety and health
Injury prevention
medicine
Humans
Referral and Consultation
Aged
Travel
business.industry
Public health
Communication Barriers
General Medicine
medicine.disease
Surgery
Transportation of Patients
Escharotomy
Emergency Medicine
Female
Medical emergency
business
Burns
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03054179
- Volume :
- 27
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....c99b9284e7fe00cacf22c9699fb4f963