Appropriate Care for Burns
The center’s director discusses when patients should seek a burn center’s expertise
- What type of burns should be treated at a Regional Burn Center?
- What specialized care do patients receive at a burn center?
- How can I refer a patient to your burn center?
Q: What type of burns should be treated at a Regional Burn Center?
A: Without exception, all third-degree burns need referral to a burn center.
Patients with second-degree burns should be evaluated by a burn center within 48 hours. Burns are an evolving injury. They have the potential to become deeper if they become infected or dry out. Though these burns don’t require surgery to heal, improper treatment may necessitate such measures. Patients who attempt self-treatment or receive inappropriate ointments may experience a delay in healing, an increase in burn depth and an increased likelihood for bad scarring.
Patients with first-degree burns often can be treated at a community hospital’s emergency department or by a primary care physician. Physicians may want to refer a patient with first-degree burns to a burn center if, for example, the patient suffers a sunburn large enough to cause severe pain or dehydration. In such a case, blood vessels may leak fluid into the tissues and result in edema both in the region of the burn and throughout the entire body. Because there isn’t adequate fluid volume in the blood vessels, the patient can become dehydrated or go into shock. Ultimately, the patient’s kidneys, brain and gastrointestinal tract can be affected.
A patient who sustains any size burn (even if it appears superficial) over major joints or on his hands, feet, toes, neck, face or genitalia also should be referred to a burn center. These burns can have significant functional or cosmetic consequences due to scarring.
Q: What specialized care do patients receive at a burn center?
A: Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network’s Regional Burn Center cares for more than 600 patients each year, three times the average burn center. What may appear as a second-degree burn to a provider who doesn’t see and treat burns daily may actually be a deeper wound. Misdiagnosis can lead to a higher risk for infection. If you’re in doubt, please contact us for a second opinion.
Our burn team uses specialized treatments. These include enzymatic agents that dissolve dead burn tissue on the surface, allowing the tissue underneath to heal without skin grafts. Burn specialists also can prevent small burns from converting to deeper burns that require surgery. This type of burn is treated with a temporary, artificial skin substitute that decreases the need for skin grafting.
For example, this 19-month-old child received deep partial-thickness burns from boiling water that was added to bathtub water. See Photo >>
During surgery, damaged skin was removed and replaced with artificial skin. See Photo >>
In less than a month, the child progressed well with no signs of scarring. See Photo >>
In less than three months, the child was completely recovered. See Photo >>
Q: How can I refer a patient to your burn center?
A: Call us at 1-800-710-BURN (2876). You’ll talk directly to a burn physician. We’ll work together to ensure they receive the best possible care.
This page last updated 5/29/08 12:56 PM
