Management of the Burn Patient?
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A 58-year-old female patient was activated as a Level 1 trauma alert after being involved in a house explosion with resultant fire. She was awake and alert with no loss of consciousness at the scene but sustained significant thermal injuries per EMS report. She was intubated pre-hospital for “airway protection” out of concern for inhalation injury with facial burns. Initial evaluation revealed an older woman, orally intubated with bilateral breath sounds, mildly tachycardic in the 100s, moderately hypertensive in the 160s/90s, with readily apparent full-thickness burns to the face, neck, anterior torso, bilateral arms, and bilateral legs (Photos 1 and 2). Secondary survey and imaging revealed no further injuries.
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@abhigna Most minor burns can be treated at home. They usually heal within a couple of weeks. For serious burns, after appropriate first aid and wound assessment, your treatment may involve medications, wound dressings, therapy and surgery. The goals of treatment are to control pain, remove dead tissue, prevent infection, reduce scarring risk and regain function. People with severe burns may require treatment at specialized burn centers. They may need skin grafts to cover large wounds. And they may need emotional support and months of follow-up care, such as physical therapy.