Assessment of Salvage Potential Acute care of a burned lower extremity prioritizes circulation and coverage. These goals are achieved through escharotomies and fasciotomies as necessary and excision and coverage of the burn wounds. Reconstruction of lower-extremity burn sequelae, however, requires…
Introduction The hand is a primary means of communication, aesthetics, emotion, and sexuality. It exists at the core of our humanity. Particularly in the modern age of digital communication, the inability to interface with the digital world via hands is…
Introduction Both immediate and delayed presentations exist for eye problems in burned patients. Accordingly, in burns, the structure and function of a normal eye can be disrupted by concurrent blunt or penetrating injury, electrical current, thermal energy, or chemical agents.…
Introduction Approximately 8% of women experience trauma during their pregnancies. Trauma in pregnancy is the most common cause of nonobstetric-related death; more generally, trauma is the leading cause of death in the age group under 40 in the United States.…
Introduction Approximately 4000 burn victims die each year from complications related to thermal injury. Burn deaths generally occur in a bimodal distribution, either immediately after the injury or weeks later due to multisystem organ failure (MOF), a pattern covered in…
Introduction Burn trauma begins via a cutaneous thermal injury with or without an inhalation injury. These local primary injuries initiate a series of pathophysiologic cascades previously discussed. Fluid shifts into thermally damaged tissue as well as global endothelial activation; glycocalyx…
Introduction Skin is the first immune defense mechanism and functions as a barrier against microorganisms. Infections are a significant problem once open wounds compromise this barrier. According to the U.S. National Burn Repository, the four leading causes of burn morbidity…