Burn

Burn Department.

Overview

Burns are injuries to the skin and underlying tissues. Minor sunburns, minor scalds, sunburn on areas of thin skin, and minor contact burns may not need a doctor’s care. More serious burns require immediate medical attention because they may be life-threatening. Burns that involve deeper layers of the skin, as well as structures beneath the skin, can lead to severe pain, infection, or even death. Severe burns heal very slowly, if at all, and can leave behind a large scar.

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Diagnosis

If you are badly hurt from the burn, your doctor will be concerned that other injuries have not been identified and treated. Your doctor will check for other injuries and might order lab tests, X-rays or other diagnostic procedures. If necessary, you will be transferred to a hospital with the specialized equipment needed to treat burns.

Treatment

After a severe burn, you might need treatment at a burn center. A burn center is a hospital that specializes in treating serious burns and helping people recover from them. The center staff includes doctors, nurses and other professionals who have special training and skills to provide the best possible care. Depending on the extent of your injuries, you might need surgery to treat your burns. These surgeries help limit scarring and may improve function or change the appearance of your affected areas. They also may be used to reconstruct body parts. If necessary, skin grafts will be done to cover large wounds or any open areas of burned skin.

 

Medical treatment

After you have received first aid for a major burn, your medical care may include medications and products that are intended to encourage healing.

  • Water-based treatments. Your care team may use techniques such as ultrasound mist therapy to clean and stimulate the wound tissue.
  • Fluids to prevent dehydration. You may need intravenous (IV) fluids to prevent dehydration and organ failure.
  • Pain and anxiety medications. Healing burns can be incredibly painful. You may need morphine and anti-anxiety medications — particularly for dressing changes.
  • Burn creams and ointments. If you are not being transferred to a burn center, your care team may select from a variety of topical products for wound healing, such as bacitracin and silver sulfadiazine (Silvadene). These help prevent infection and prepare the wound to close.
  • Dressings. Your care team may also use various specialty wound dressings to prepare the wound to heal. If you are being transferred to a burn center, your wound will likely be covered in dry gauze only.
  • Drugs that fight infection. If you develop an infection, you may need IV antibiotics.
  • Tetanus shot. Your doctor might recommend a tetanus shot after a burn injury.

Surgical and other procedures

You may need one or more of the following procedures:

  • Breathing assistance. If you’ve been burned on the face or neck, your throat may swell shut. If that appears likely, your doctor may insert a tube down your windpipe (trachea) to keep oxygen supplied to your lungs.
  • Feeding tube. People with extensive burns or who are undernourished may need nutritional support. Your doctor may thread a feeding tube through your nose to your stomach.
  • Easing blood flow around the wound. If a burn scab (eschar) goes completely around a limb, it can tighten and cut off the blood circulation. An eschar that goes completely around the chest can make it difficult to breathe. Your doctor may cut the eschar to relieve this pressure.
  • Skin grafts. A skin graft is a surgical procedure in which sections of your own healthy skin are used to replace the scar tissue caused by deep burns. Donor skin from deceased donors or pigs can be used as a temporary solution.
  • Plastic surgery. Plastic surgery (reconstruction) can improve the appearance of burn scars and increase the flexibility of joints affected by scarring.