For pediatric patients with burns, burns of any kind can cause post-traumatic stress and impairment of health, which can affect sleep habits, according to a study published in Burns. Using the General Health Questionnaire, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index, and the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire, researchers collected data from inpatients aged 7 to 18 at a burn clinic in a university hospital. All patients had first-degree burns, 80.8% had third-degree burns, and 59.6% had second degree burns. In 20.2% of patients during trauma and in 43.4% during burn treatment, infections were observed. Via a structural equation model, the researchers noted that the general health perceptions of pediatric patients with burns did not significantly affect their sleep habits. However, a significant link was found between the patients’ PTSD and sleep habits (P<0.05), with their PTSD responsible for 7.2% of their sleep habits.
ED Hypothermia & Hyperthermia Independently Linked With Mortality
For patients with burn injuries, even when controlling for known covariates linked with inpatient death, ED hypothermia and hyperthermia are independently linked with mortality, according to a study published in the Journal of Burn Care & Research. On a national scale, Clifford C. Sheckter, MD, and colleagues examined the association between admission temperature and complications to discover opportunities for improved patient outcomes. Among 116,796 patients with burn injuries, 1.45% were hyperthermic, 77.9% were euthermic, and 20.6% were hypothermic upon admission. Mortality increased by 5% for every 1.0°C drop in body temperature from 36.0°C. Both hypothermia and hyperthermia were independently linked with greater odds of mortality when controlling for gender, age, number of comorbidities, inhalation injury, and percent TBSA affected (P<.001). All temperatures measured below 36.0°C were considerably linked with greater odds of mortality. The highest odds of mortality were observed in patients with ED temperatures of 32.5-33.5°C (95% CI, 15.6-31.0; P<0.001).
