Estimation of blood loss during adult burn surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Large burns excision and graft can produce major blood loss. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the blood loss in relation with the excision size in square centimeters (cm2) in adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a monocentric, observational, prospective and open study in a burn intensive care unit. Patients aged-over 18 with burn wounds excision and autografting covering at least 5% of total body surface area (TBS) were enrolled. Blood loss was evaluated with Mercuriali formula. RESULTS: 139 procedures were evaluated: median graft size was 1637cm2, median blood loss was 0.8ml/cm2 excised and grafted skin and median total blood loss was 1444ml. 84 procedures (i.e. 60.4%) required transfusion. 66 procedures concerned upper limbs, 75 lower limbs, 17 head and 72 trunk. 126 procedures used tangential excision, 10 used fascia excision and 3 used the two techniques. Patients with comorbidities (ASA score 3 or 4) had more bleeding (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The results that were obtained, i.e. approximately 0.8ml/cm2 of excised and grafted skin, are similar to those of other published studies, which concerned specific populations such as pediatrics. Determining blood loss in one centre can help physicians to calculate the excisable area without any transfusion. However, blood loss can vary widely between patients and one must consider individual clinical situation to provide safe surgery.

Prise en charge des brûlés par télé-expertise.

At the end of 2013, we proposed the possibility of obtaining specialized burn advice 24/7 via pictures transmitted through a dedicated email address, to healthcare professionals. This simple tool is now a success, and we received one request for advice per day in 2015, resulting in an exchange of numerous emails. This simple process offers a number of benefits: it allows burn centres to regulate patient flows all year long, gives healthcare professionals access to a burn care specialist when and as quickly as they need, ensures each patient receives dedicated care, and allows national authorities to provide the best public health service and gain financial profits. However, a tool that uses email is much too simple and insufficiently secure, therefore it can only represent the first step towards a much more "professional" solution.

[Acute cupric sulfate intoxication: pathophysiology and therapy about a case report]. / Intoxication aiguë au sulfate de cuivre: physiopathologie et traitement d'après un cas.

A case of acute copper sulfate intoxication is presented here, as an illustration of high toxic copper dose. A 38-years-old patient with a light mental deficit ingested half a glass of copper sulfate. This patient first suffered from nausea and vomiting, then an intravascular haemolysis occurred during the hospitalisation in our intensive care unit. The outcome was favourable under aetiologic and symptomatic treatment: administration of D-penicillamine as a copper antidote and packed red cell transfusion. The patient left the intensive care unit after 9 days. Acute copper intoxication is not an exceptional situation, with a potentially severe outcome.