Serious burns are one of the most painful and difficult medical conditions to treat.
They require prompt medical response, and even after the immediate emergency is addressed, the continued risk of infection and damage to tissue and organs means that hospital care and treatment may continue for months.
Even with the best medical care, burn injuries can leave a person disabled and disfigured.
Anyone who suffers severe burn injuries faces major and disruptive changes in their lives.
A burn is tissue damage caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or nuclear radiation.
The most frequently occurring burns are those caused by scalds, building fires, and flammable liquids and gases.
No matter what the cause of the burn, the effects on the tissue are the same.
Burns are described as first, second, or third degree, depending on the depth to which the burn has penetrated, and the kind of tissue damage sustained.
Extremely severe burns involving damage to organs and bone are classified as fourth, fifth and sixth degree burns.
First-degree burns affect only the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin.
A first degree burn usually heals without scarring.
Second-degree burns damage both the epidermis and the dermis, the under layer of skin.
The risk of infection increases with a second degree burn, because the skin is the body's protective layer, and when skin is damaged or destroyed, the body is more vulnerable to infection.
After serious burn injuries, healing aims at preventing infection and minimizing scarring as damaged tissues heal.
Third-degree burns involve damage or complete destruction of the skin to its full depth and damage to the underlying tissues and organs.
People who have suffered third burns frequently need skin grafting, the replacement of destroyed skin with new skin taken from another part of the body.
The swelling and blistering that occur with burns are caused by the loss of fluid from damaged blood vessels.
When the burned area is extensive, fluid loss can be great enough to cause shock.
When this happens the burn victim requires immediate transfusion of blood or of a physiological salt solution to restore adequate fluid levels and to maintain blood pressure.
Medical researchers have made significant progress in their ability to treat serious burn injuries.
Twenty-five years ago, a person with third degree burns covering half the body was not expected to live.
Today many patients survive burns that covered 90 percent of the body, albeit with permanent disabilities.
The increased survival rate is the result of advances in resuscitation, better wound cleaning and follow-up care, nutritional support, and infection control.
Grafting with the patient's own skin or artificial materials also speed the healing process.
Many serious burn injuries are the result of a defective product or of negligence.
A manufacturer who builds and sells a defective product, or a landlord or other property owner who is negligent in the maintenance of a property and that negligence results in a fire can be held financially responsible for injuries.
Here are the heating devices that most often lead to fires:
They require prompt medical response, and even after the immediate emergency is addressed, the continued risk of infection and damage to tissue and organs means that hospital care and treatment may continue for months.
Even with the best medical care, burn injuries can leave a person disabled and disfigured.
Anyone who suffers severe burn injuries faces major and disruptive changes in their lives.
A burn is tissue damage caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or nuclear radiation.
The most frequently occurring burns are those caused by scalds, building fires, and flammable liquids and gases.
No matter what the cause of the burn, the effects on the tissue are the same.
Burns are described as first, second, or third degree, depending on the depth to which the burn has penetrated, and the kind of tissue damage sustained.
Extremely severe burns involving damage to organs and bone are classified as fourth, fifth and sixth degree burns.
First-degree burns affect only the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin.
A first degree burn usually heals without scarring.
Second-degree burns damage both the epidermis and the dermis, the under layer of skin.
The risk of infection increases with a second degree burn, because the skin is the body's protective layer, and when skin is damaged or destroyed, the body is more vulnerable to infection.
After serious burn injuries, healing aims at preventing infection and minimizing scarring as damaged tissues heal.
Third-degree burns involve damage or complete destruction of the skin to its full depth and damage to the underlying tissues and organs.
People who have suffered third burns frequently need skin grafting, the replacement of destroyed skin with new skin taken from another part of the body.
The swelling and blistering that occur with burns are caused by the loss of fluid from damaged blood vessels.
When the burned area is extensive, fluid loss can be great enough to cause shock.
When this happens the burn victim requires immediate transfusion of blood or of a physiological salt solution to restore adequate fluid levels and to maintain blood pressure.
Medical researchers have made significant progress in their ability to treat serious burn injuries.
Twenty-five years ago, a person with third degree burns covering half the body was not expected to live.
Today many patients survive burns that covered 90 percent of the body, albeit with permanent disabilities.
The increased survival rate is the result of advances in resuscitation, better wound cleaning and follow-up care, nutritional support, and infection control.
Grafting with the patient's own skin or artificial materials also speed the healing process.
Many serious burn injuries are the result of a defective product or of negligence.
A manufacturer who builds and sells a defective product, or a landlord or other property owner who is negligent in the maintenance of a property and that negligence results in a fire can be held financially responsible for injuries.
Here are the heating devices that most often lead to fires:
- Gas-fired space heaters
- Portable electric heaters
- Kerosene heaters
- Wood and coal burning stoves and fireplaces
- Cooking equipment
- Upholstered furniture, and bedding and mattresses
- Articles of clothing