Burn Surgery International
The Vision:
Cents of Relief's Burn Surgery International provides treatment for burn injuries suffered indigent including women in prostitution and their children. Cents of Relief has developed a multi-partnership with the National Burns Centre (www.burns-india.com), Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org), and Harvard Brigham and Women's Hospital (www.brighamandwomens.org) to provide missions where surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and physical therapists will treat patients otherwise without access to burn care. Through minor surgical procedures including skin grafts and local flaps, we hope to restore cosmetic and functional form to these burn victims.
Please click on the documentary, filmed by Aditi Anand, to see coverage of our inaugural mission.
Overview:
The Scope:
Burns in developing countries are a significant health concern, particularly in India, where it ranks amongst the leading causes of death. This is even more staggering considering that many burn injuries and fatalities go unreported in the rural settings and red-light areas. Many etiologies, both medical and cultural, are responsible for the high incidence of burns with the lack of safety precautions and medical care exacerbating the situation. Burn Surgery International endeavors to increase the outreach of burn care, the awareness of burn safety, and understanding about therapeutic interventions for burns.
Demographics:
Women and children remain at greatest risk for burn injuries. The inferior status that certain communities hold women in makes them susceptible to domestic abuse and trafficking. This in turn leads to suicide attempts including through burns to escape their misery. Furthermore, women and children trafficked into prostitution are coerced into sex slavery through various mechanisms including being burned by flame, cigarettes, and acid. The incidence of burns remains high among children due the poor preventive measures outlined below.
Many of these patients are untreated due to the lack of access and intervention to burn care. This leads to contractures, or hypertrophic scarring, that often limit functional ability in life.
Developing Awareness:
Burn safety remains low, particularly among those in poverty, contributing to a number of preventable injuries. First, the routine use of open-flames for cooking increases the likelihood of burn injuries given many women wear saris and many children play in the cooking area. Second, the inappropriate handling of fireworks used to celebrate Indian holidays leads to a number of burn injuries. For example, a person will light the firework in his hand or with too many people in the vicinity burning himself and others. Yet, all of these injuries can be decreased with a comprehensive burn awareness campaign teaching about the dangers of open-flames or fireworks. To this end, we developed a burn comic book permitting those who are illiterate to educate themselves regarding burn safety.
Leadership:
Board of directors biosketches with roles you deem appropriate:
James Watkins, MD, MSc: Dr. Watkins received his medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1991 followed by a Masters in Science in Applied Medical Statistics from University of Oxford. He completed his residency at Beth Israel Hospital before spending six years as a management consultant working with clients in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries on strategy, acquisitions, performance improvement and operations. In 2003 he decided to return to surgical practice and completed additional training at the Guthrie Clinic, Robert Packer Hospital and a fellowship in Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Dr. Watkins is currently involved in a number of clinical trials related to Trauma and Critical Care.
Indranil Sinha, MD
Huong Tran, MD
Francis Kim, MD
Types of Treatment:
Use pictures and videos for this and write up whatever is done during Jan. trip
(1) Release of contracture of body part enabling restoration of function to participate in income generating projects
(2) Cosmetic improvement of injured area enabling integration into society
(3) Disemination of burns including precautions and treatment via comic book geared towards school-aged children
Patient Stories:
* Use videos/pics/written description of demographics; this will have a page of a patient with photo (left side) documenting the following (right-side of picture):
* Access to the Excel Demographics SpreadsheetAge of Injury, Age at Treatment, Mechanism of Injury, Burn Issue, Treatment Provided
Donor Opportunities:
Medical/Surgical Supplies:
Sutures:
- 4-0 nylon sutures
- 3-0 nylon sutures
- 5-0 nylon sutures
- 4-0 chromic sutures
- 4-0 vicryl sutures
Medications:
- Keflex
- Oxycodone
- Acetaminophen
- Cefuroxime
Dressing Supplies:
- 4”x8” Xerform
- Xeroform rolls
- 4”x8” gauze
- 2” paper tape
- 4” x 6” Tagaderm
- 3” Plaster
- 3” Webroll
- 2” ACE wrap
- Sterile foam (for Bolster use)
- VAC machine, ? foam
OR supplies:
- Zimmer dermatome
- Watson Knife
- Goulian Knife
- Watson Blades
- Goulian Blades
- Skin Graft Mesher
- Skin Staplers
- Bovie Pens (battery operated)
- Brennen Mesher with 2:1 and 3:1 gaurds
Research:
Of the estimated 11% of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to surgical disease, burns comprise a significant percentage. We are transforming our clinical experience into interdisciplinary outcomes research that ultimately aims to develop innovative and cost-effective strategies to provide global burn care. Furthermore, we are interested in approaches to curb the health disparities, particularly relevant to surgery, among the population our charity serves. Please find below some of our recent publications and manuscripts in progress:
Publications:
Manuscripts in Progress:
Volunteer Opportunity: Cents of Relief has various volunteer opportunities.
(1) Medical Volunteers:
*Location: Mission Sites
*Time Commitment: 2 weeks or greater
*Roles:
a) Medical Professions: All board-certified physicians in the listed fields would be welcomed to accompany and help lead one of our mission trips:
• Plastic Surgeon
• Trauma and Critical Care Surgeon
• Anesthesiologist
• Pediatrician
• Pediatric Intensivist
• Nursing
b) Residents In-Training: All residents in the listed fields would be welcome to assist on trips provide the fill out a completed application obtained by emailing cor(AT)centsofrelief.org and provide two letters of support from physicians in their area of training.
• Surgery (any specialty)
• Anesthesiology
• Pediatrics
c) Medical/Nursing Students: With an aim to cultivate a passion for global health, we will permit medical and nursing students on mission trips. A completed application obtained by emailing cor(AT)centsofrelief.org and two letters of support must be submitted for consideration.
(2) Research: Given our interdisciplinary approach, we are seeking a variety of backgrounds to assist with our efforts. By having different branches of medicine collaborate with economists, epidemiologists, and mathematicians, we aim to develop optimal solutions for reducing the global burn burden.
*Time Commitment: 2 hours per week for at a minimum of 3 months
*Role: Perform analytical research based on data obtained from mission trips
Please email cor@centsofrelief.org for all inquires.
