Forensic Engineering Investigation into Factors Contributing to Explosion of a Consumer-Grade Tabletop Torch

In early 2013, approximately 3,500 consumer-grade tabletop torches, designed for use with citronella oil to ward off insects, were sold by a retailer. Within six months of their debut, 22 of these products experi-enced sudden explosions, resulting in one fatality and 21 severe burn injuries to consumers. The author was retained as an expert in the fatal explosion case to determine the root cause(s) that led to these explosions. This paper will describe the detailed, experimental-based investigation that was carried out to reveal design, manufacturing, and marketing defects for which the designer of the torch, the manufacturer of the fuel, and the retailer of the final product were responsible. It was determined that the explosions occurred as a result of a “perfect storm” scenario that involved defective product design, defective marketing of the product through the sale of incompatible fuel by the retailer, and deficient warning instructions by the manufacturer.

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Effects of Exercise Training on Fat Mass in Individuals with Severe Burn Injuries

Journal of Burn Care & Rehabilitation ◽

10.1097/00004630-200203002-00073 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 23 ◽

pp. S77

Author(s):

O. E. Suman ◽

R. P. Mlcak ◽

S. J. Thomas ◽

D. N. Herndon

Keyword(s):

Exercise Training ◽

Fat Mass ◽

Burn Injuries ◽

Severe Burn ◽

Severe Burn Injuries

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The rise of factor X level in blood plasma of patients at severe burn injuries

Journal of Burn Care & Research ◽

10.1093/jbcr/irab235 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

George P Kozynets ◽

Volodymyr P Tsyhankov ◽

Daria S Korolova ◽

Olga V Gornytska ◽

Olexiy M Savchuk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protein C ◽

Antithrombin Iii ◽

Burn Injury ◽

Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time ◽

Burn Injuries ◽

Factor X ◽

Severe Burn ◽

Clotting Factors ◽

Thrombotic Complications ◽

Severe Burn Injuries

Abstract This work is dedicated to the detection of imbalance between the pro- and anti-coagulant branches of hemostasis at severe burn injuries by evaluating the content or activity of individual clotting factors. To select the targets for accurate diagnostics we measured the concentrations of soluble fibrin monomeric complexes and fibrinogen, levels of total prothrombin, factor X, protein C and antithrombin III, and recorded the time of clotting in activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time tests. Factor X level was increased in 26 % of patients on the first day after the burn and it rose further in 62 % patients on the 14 th day of recovery. Increasing factor X level is assumed to be a risk factor of thrombotic complications. We propose to use it as a marker of predisposition to thrombosis at severe burn injury.

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Endotoxemia and complement activation after severe burn injuries-effects on leukocytes, soluble selectins, and inflammatory cytokines

Inflammation ◽

10.1007/bf01488201 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 229-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

O. Ljunghusen ◽

J. Lundahl ◽

H. Nettelblad ◽

B. Nilsson ◽

F. Sj�gren ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Cytokines ◽

Complement Activation ◽

Burn Injuries ◽

Severe Burn ◽

Severe Burn Injuries

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Case report of Wolfe grafting for the management of bilateral cicatricial eyelid ectropion following severe burn injuries

Annals of Medicine and Surgery ◽

10.1016/j.amsu.2018.07.013 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 ◽

pp. 58-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nina Jovanovic ◽

Admira Dizdarevic ◽

Nedzad Dizdarevic ◽

Amir Haracic ◽

Lamija Gafurovic

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Burn Injuries ◽

Severe Burn ◽

Severe Burn Injuries

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Expansion potential of skin grafts with novel I-shaped auxetic incisions

Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express ◽

10.1088/2057-1976/ac3b72 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vivek Gupta ◽

Arnab Chanda

Keyword(s):

Skin Grafting ◽

Burn Injuries ◽

Skin Grafts ◽

Severe Burn ◽

Thickness Skin ◽

Split Thickness Skin Grafting ◽

Shape Pattern ◽

Severe Burn Injuries ◽

Poisson's Ratios ◽

Poisson’S Ratios

Abstract Severe burn injures lead to millions of fatalities every year due to lack of skin replacements. While skin is a very limited and expensive entity, split thickness skin grafting, which involves the projection of a parallel incision pattern on a small section of healthy excised skin, is typically employed to increase the expansion and cover a larger burn site. To date, the real expansion capacity of such grafts are low (<3 times) and insufficient for treatment of severe burn injuries. In this study, novel I-shaped auxetic incision patterns, which are known to exhibit high negative Poisson’s ratios, have been tested on the skin to investigate their expansion potential. Fourteen two-layer skin graft models with varying incision pattern parameters (i.e., length, spacing, and orientation) were developed using finite element modelling and tested under uniaxial and biaxial tensile loads. The Poisson’s ratio, meshing ratios, and induced stresses were quantified across all models. Graft models tested uniaxially along the orthogonal directions indicated opposite trends in generated Poisson’s ratios, as the length of the I-shape incisions were increased. Biaxially, with a symmetric and closely spaced I-shape pattern, graft meshing ratios up to 15.65 were achieved without overstressing the skin. Overall, the findings from the study indicated that expansion potentials much higher than that of traditional skin grafts can be achieved with novel I-shaped auxetic skin grafts, which would be indispensable for covering large wounds in severe burn injuries.

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Severe Burn Injuries Caused by Bioethanol-Design Fireplaces—An Overview on Recreational Fire Threats

Journal of Burn Care & Research ◽

10.1097/bcr.0b013e31820aade7 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 173-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Robert Kraemer ◽

Karsten Knobloch ◽

Johan Lorenzen ◽

Karl H. Breuing ◽

Soeren Koennecker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Burn Injuries ◽

Severe Burn ◽

Severe Burn Injuries

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Efficacy and Safety of High Vs Standard Daptomycin Doses Examined in Chinese Patients With Severe Burn Injuries by Pharmacokinetic Evaluation

Journal of Burn Care & Research ◽

10.1093/jbcr/iraa020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 705-713

Author(s):

Yingzi Huang ◽

Guozhong Lv ◽

Linlin Hu ◽

Yunfu Wu ◽

Nan Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Burn Injury ◽

Standard Dose ◽

Burn Injuries ◽

Chinese Patients ◽

High Dose ◽

Severe Burn ◽

Serious Adverse Events ◽

Severe Burn Injuries ◽

High Doses

Abstract Previous studies and the concentration-dependent antibacterial actions of daptomycin suggested that a high dose would be needed for difficult-to-treat infections in burn patients. Here, we evaluated the effects of administration of low and high doses of daptomycin in patients with severe burn injuries. The study retrospectively analyzed 10 patients with severe burn injuries, using pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) evaluations of daptomycin doses given to combat serious infections. Daptomycin was administered as a single dose or by multiple doses intravenously at a standard dose of 6 mg/kg/d or a high dose of 12 mg/kg/d for 7 to 14 days. The serum concentrations of daptomycin from patients were analyzed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Burn injury patients treated with high-dose daptomycin had a linear PK profile and a negative correlation between the AUC0–24 and Baux score (R2 = .953 and R2 = .801). The Cmax, AUC0–24, and t(h)½ increased significantly compared with patients given a standard dose. The efficacy of daptomycin against Staphylococcus aureus showed significantly higher rates of (AUC0–24)/MIC and Cmax/MIC after high-dose daptomycin compared with the standard dose, reflected in a significant correlation between a high dose and the Baux score (r = .976, P < .001). Positive S. aureus cultures from two of three high-dose and none of two daptomycin low-dose patients converted from positive to negative after therapy. No serious adverse events or discontinuation of the drug occurred during the treatment period. Daptomycin doses up to 12 mg/kg/d were well tolerated in Chinese patients with severe burn injuries, which were complicated by infections with S. aureus.

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