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Biomedical subjects

S F Miller

Publications and source records attributed to S F Miller.

84 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Fabrication of total-contact burn masks by use of human body topography and computer-aided design and manufacturing.

Total-contact burn masks are used to treat scar tissue hypertrophy of the face. The mask should conform very closely to the contours of the face and provide evenly distributed pressure. The mask is worn continually throughout wound maturation. Lack of fit because of an inability to obtain exact facial contours by use of an alginate material diminishes the effectiveness of the mask. A multidisciplinary team representing physical therapy, CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing), biomedical engineering, and prosthetics has advanced the method of developing total-contact burn masks by use of human body electronic imaging, computer graphics, and numerically controlled milling processes. High-resolution surface scanning and CAD/CAM have been used successfully to accurately fabricate three such masks. The methodology and preliminary results from use of these state-of-the-art techniques are described in this article.

Burns↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Functional outcomes for the patient with burn injuries.

In health care, outcome measures have become important tools to assist with monitoring the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. This article defines functional outcomes and describes why therapists should begin monitoring the care of patients with burn injuries in terms of function. Suggestions are provided on the identification and documentation of functional outcomes for patients with burn injuries.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Directional variance in skin movement.

Skin tension is known to affect the amount of movement in normal skin and has been theorized to have a possible influence on burn scars. This study measured the directional variance in skin movement, which is related to this theory. Twenty adult female volunteers had 5 predetermined skin sites tested; these sites were on the ventral surface of the upper extremities (UE), from the shoulder to the wrist. A 1 kg axial traction force was randomly applied to each skin site in both proximal and distal directions. The skin was load-cycled 6 times before movement was measured with the use of a laser beam projection. Analysis was performed for each site, and pooled data was normalized for the entire UE. Distal skin movement was significantly greater than proximal movement at each of the 5 test sites and for the UE as a whole (P < .001). No significant differences were found among like-direction sites. Only subject height and length of UE correlated strongly (r = .88). This study demonstrates a difference in skin movement and discusses how these findings may relate to the theory that skin tension could be involved in burn scar contracture and hypertrophy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of total body water analyses: bioelectric impedance analysis versus the tritiated water method.

Bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) is used to measure the body composition and total body water of normal subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine if the hydration of patients with burns could be assessed by BIA. Assessments of total body water as determined by BIA and the tritiated water method were prospectively compared. The 2 analyses were performed 48 hours after admission for 5 patients with acute burns to determine the correlation of the 2 methods. The patients had a mean age of 36.4+/-14.7 years (range, 20-56 years), a mean burn size of 39.4%+/-15.9% of the body surface area (range, 23%-65%), and a mean full-thickness burn size of 27.7% of the body surface area. The total body water was measured on admission and again at 48 hours postburn. There is an excellent relationship between BIA and tritiated-water-method determinations of the total body water of patients with severe burns (r = 0.958). This correlation suggests that BIA provides an accurate measure of total body water, and so it is a reliable means of monitoring fluid resuscitation in patients with burns.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutritional indicators of postburn bacteremic sepsis.

The potential of nutritional assessment parameters in predicting sepsis in burn patients was investigated. Sixty-two consecutive patients (mean age 41 years) with an average burn size of 19% were studied. Values were obtained on postburn day 10 for serum albumin, transferrin, nitrogen balance, total lymphocyte count, skin test reactivity, and percentage of ideal body weight. Parameters predictive of imminent septic episode included serum albumin less than 3.0 g/dl (p less than 0.001), total lymphocyte count less than 1500/mm3 (p less than 0.001), anergy (p less than 0.001), and serum transferrin less than 150 mg/dl (p less than 0.001). Nitrogen balance and percentage of ideal body weight were not found to contribute to group discrimination.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Micrografts: the "super" expansion graft.

A novel technique for producing micronized skin grafts that was introduced in a paper presented at the 1990 ABA meeting was evaluated to quantify maximum expansion. Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups representing 10:1 and 25:1 expanded micrograft ratios, respectively. Grafted sites in both groups were shown to heal better than those of the control group, and both grafted groups showed comparable healing at day 10.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of the effect of passive exercise v static wrapping on finger range of motion in the burned hand.

A prospective study was undertaken to compare the use of passive exercise with that of static wrapping to increase finger flexion range of motion in burn patients. Six patients (four males and two females) with combined full- and partial-thickness dorsal hand burns were randomized to receive either treatment. Results showed that metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint flexion improved an average of 7.46 degrees with passive exercise and 2.65 degrees with static wrapping. Proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint flexion improved an average of 9.68 degrees with static wrapping and 4.28 degrees with passive exercise. The percentages of improvement in the MCP joint with passive exercise and static wrapping were 8.53% and 2.92%, respectively. In the PIP joint, the respective percentages were 3.69% and 8.09%. All differences were statistically significant at a P value of less than .001. It was concluded that in the rehabilitation of hands and/or fingers with recently healed burns, manual passive exercise is significantly better than static wrapping for increasing MCP joint flexion, while static wrapping is more effective for increasing PIP joint flexion.

Adult↗