Dubai: "She should have stayed home," said Anneline Oberholzer, mother of Kim, as she waited outside the intensive care ward of Rashid Hospital's burns unit.
Kim and two of four teenage friends, who sustained burns in an explosion at one of their villas in Mirdif on June 18, were undergoing a series of procedures yesterday as they continued to be on mechanical ventilation.
Dr Qasim Ahli, Consultant and Head of the Plastic Surgery Unit at Rashid Hospital, told XPRESS yesterday, "Their conditions are stable."
He said the four girls had sustained secondary superficial and deep burns of varying degrees, with three of them requiring reconstructive surgery. The burns were "flame" injuries, he said, pointing to the inhalation injuries, the manner in which the clothes had been affected and the nature of the burn patches.
"The biggest challenge now is to control infection and expedite extubation," said Dr Salma Al Sharji, Plastic Surgeon, who is looking into the four cases under the supervision of Dr Ahli. Without taking names, she said one of the four had developed sepsis. The second degree burns were superficial and deep, she said, adding that the affected areas included the whole face, neck, upper and lower limbs, upper trunk and part of the lower trunk. The other three had sustained 15-20 per cent burns, she added.
Dr Ahli said a multi-disciplinary effort would be required to treat the girls. He said besides the reconstructive surgeries, the young girls may also require aesthetic surgery at a later date.
