engleski

The use of Psychotropic Agents in the Hospital Treatment of Burn Patients

Sustaining a burn injury is often a traumatic experience, with long-term physical and psychosocial effects. The increasing numbers of survivors from burn injuries has focused research and clinical attention on the psychological consequences of such injuries. The objective of the authors was to analyse the recent literature regarding the prevalence of psychological problems in burn-injured patients as well as the optimal psychiatric treatment. Throughout case reports the authors described different clinical manifestations of these psychological problems. The recent literature suggests that the trauma of larger burn injuries can affect people in different ways: depression, regression, PTSD, anxiety and psychotic symptomatology are relatively common sequelae. A high percentage of burn patients have important predisposing factors for burn injuries, such as substance abuse, psychosis, organic brain syndromes and personality disorders, family dysfunction, or, in the case of burned children, frank neglect. The presence of psychiatric problems in burn patients has been found to have an impact of their burn care and long term adjustment. In case of the patients treated at the Clinic of Traumatology in Zagreb, all of them were hospitalised because of the serious burn injuries, and most of them had previous psychological problems. The first patient (M.P, male, age: 74) set herself on fire in a suicide attempt. Like most patients who have tried suicide by fire, he had serious third degree burns. They covered 45% of his body (total body surface area -TBSA). He died after 40 days of hospitalisation. The second patient (E.Č., male, age: 59 ) was admitted to the hospital with third degree burns (TBSA: 40%). He developed depressive simptomatology. The third patient (A.D., male, age: 22) had a previous history of substance abuse. He was admitted to the hospital with third degree burns (TBSA:35%), and his hospital stay was 91 days. The manner in which the burn injury was sustained was hot water. The fourth patient (A.P., male, age: 63) suffered from alcohol dependence. He was admitted to the hospital with third degree burns (TBSA :30%), and his hospital stay was 109 days. The fifth patient (D.L., male, age:56) had a previous psychiatric history of psychotic disorder. He was admitted to the hospital with the third degree burns (TBSA:5%) Conclusion: In the process of monitoring and treatment of patients who suffer from burn injuries, psychological problems needs to be taken into account. It may be manifested through different symptoms, and confront clinicians with problems of optimal treatment that is required. In the holistic approach to the treatment of burn injured patients, psychiatric care is necessary to improve the health and the quality of life of these patien

; burns; psychological problems; pain; optimal treatment

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