Standardization of burn patients transfer: Implementation of a transfer request form to Israel\u27s national burn center

Background: Burn injuries are an extreme form of traumatic injury and are a global health issue. The Israeli National Burn Unit at the Sheba Medical Center, a tertiary level 1 trauma center and hence the national referral center, treats burn patients admitted both directly and referred from other medical centers. The transfer and handover of patients is acritical step in patient care. In Israel, to date, there is no standardized and accepted transfer request form for burn patients from one medical facility to another. Objectives: To construct a transfer request form to be used in all future burn patient referrals. Methods: After reviewing publicly available international transfer forms and comparing them to the admission checklist used at our unit, a structured transfer request form was constructed. Results: After a pilot study period, testing the form in various scenarios and adapting it, the first standardized transfer form for burn patients in Israel in both English and Hebrew was implemented beginning May 2020. Conclusions: Implementation of a standardized transfer process will improve communication between healthcare professionals to help maintain a continuum of care. We believe that implementation of a burn transfer form in all future referrals can standardize and assure better care for burn patients, thus improving overall patient care. IMAJ 2020; 22: 700-70

Total Facial Autologous Fat Grafting for Treating Skin Manifestations in Scleroderma

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) or scleroderma, is a rare, systemic autoimmune connective tissue disease that can cause fibrosis of cutaneous tissue and visceral organs. Facial involvement can have a deleterious effect on patients’ function, cosmetic appearance and quality of life. This study describes our experience and results with total facial autologous fat grafting for treating scleroderma. It includes 14 women and 3 men with SSc, at an average age of 51.3 years who underwent 32 autologous fat grafting surgeries between 2017–2022. The surgical technique is further described and demographic and surgical data, including preoperative and postoperative measurements were analyzed. Patients who had multiple surgeries ultimately received grafts with twice the volume of fat than in the first procedure. The oral opening increased an average of 33%. All patients reported improvement in quality of life and were very satisfied with the aesthetic outcomes. The use of autologous fat grafting to treat SSc patients successfully increased oral openings and improved facial manifestations. The procedure is reproducible, safe and leads to improvement in facial manifestations and patients’ quality of life. It can be repeated over time to preserve or enhance the results

Treatment of Scleroderma-Related Microstomia Using Hyaluronic Acid: An Interventional Study

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) or scleroderma is a rare, systemic, autoimmune connective tissue disease. It causes increased collagen synthesis, leading to multi-organ sclerosis, including the skin and joints. Patients’ overall health and quality of life are harmed dramatically. Involvement of the face and, especially, the oral opening can limit patients’ ability to speak and eat, oral hygiene, and cosmetic appearance. Profhilo® (NAHYCO®) is an over-the-counter product consisting of pure hyaluronic acid. It is used to improve skin quality by increasing collagen production and adipocyte vitality. This interventional study evaluated the results of perioral injections of hyaluronic acid in terms of improved skin quality, elasticity, and increased oral opening. Patients diagnosed with SSc received an injection of one syringe of Profhilo® (2 mL of hyaluronic acid) at each of two clinic visits at one-month intervals. The oral opening was measured between the upper and lower central incisors before and after treatment. Quality of life was assessed using the modified Rodnan Skin Score and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index. A total of 14 patients received the first treatment, and 11 received the second treatment. The mean oral opening increased from 31.6 mm (range 17–50 mm) prior to therapy to 35.8 mm (range 21–56) 2 months following the second injection. Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant increase in the oral opening as observed one week (36.2 mm, p = 0.011), one month (36.2 mm, p = 0.007), and three months (31.6 mm, p = 0.023) after the second injection, at the 5-month follow-up. Treatment of SSc patients’ perioral area with Profhilo® can result in significant improvements in oral opening and quality of life

Exploring multisite heterogeneity of human basal cell carcinoma proteome and transcriptome.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer. Due to multiple, potential underlying molecular tumor aberrations, clinical treatment protocols are not well-defined. This study presents multisite molecular heterogeneity profiles of human BCC based on RNA and proteome profiling. Three areas from lesions excised from 9 patients were analyzed. The focus was gene expression profiles based on proteome and RNA measurements of intra-tumor heterogeneity from the same patient and inter-tumor heterogeneity in nodular, infiltrative, and superficial BCC tumor subtypes from different patients. We observed significant overlap in intra- and inter-tumor variability of proteome and RNA expression profiles, showing significant multisite heterogeneity of protein expression in the BCC tumors. Inter-subtype analysis has also identified unique proteins for each BCC subtype. This profiling leads to a deeper understanding of BCC molecular heterogeneity and potentially contributes to developing new sampling tools for personalized diagnostics therapeutic approaches to BCC

The hidden danger of lithium battery-powered electric bicycles and scooters: A case series of the Israeli National Burn Center experience

Electric-powered bicycles and scooters that use rechargeable lithium batteries are an urban transportation alternative and have become increasingly popular. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in patient admissions to the Israeli National Burn Center with burns associated with their use. In this case series of all patients (n = 9) referred to the Emergency Department (February 2016–October 2020) with lithium-related battery burns from electric-powered bicycles and scooters, we present burn depth, size, treatment, inhalation injuries, and hospitalization. All patients were admitted to the Israeli National Burn Center for treatment. The average TBSA was 27.5% (range 3%–57%). All but one patient had a combination of partial to full-thickness burns affecting the upper and lower limbs. Three patients sustained inhalation injuries and a total of four patients required intubation. Seven patients required surgery that included debridement and, in most cases, skin grafting. The availability and increase in the use of battery-powered bicycles and scooters may lead to an increase in injuries and death if consumers are not aware of the potential dangers related to the safe use of lithium batteries

Treatment algorithm for hyaluronic acid-related complication based on a systematic review of case reports, case series, and clinical experience

Study Design: Systematic review of hyaluronic acid (HA)-related complications. Objective: To systematically review all available literature including case reports and case series to identify a pattern for the management of vascular compromise resulting in facial skin ischemia and ocular manifestations following HA injection. Methods: This review was based on a systematic search of 3 electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus for all available literature including case series and case reports from database inception to July 2019. Only a total of 52 case reports/series were eligible for review and included 107 patients. Results: The reviewed literature available was comprised from case reports/series and indicated that management of both impending skin necrosis and visual disturbances is variable with no repetitive pattern of action. Yet, successful management is time dependent as early interventions stopped progression and, in some cases, even reversed adverse effects. Conclusion: Results found no universal protocol for achieving optimal results for adverse effects and as such, we present a step-by-step algorithm for the emergency management of complications following HA injection