[Initial care of the severely burned patient]

The care of severely burned patient is still an interdisciplinary challenge. Despite improvements in the understanding of the pathophysiology of burn disease, mortality is high if more than 25 % of body surface area is burned. Mortality increases in the presence of inhalation injury. Initially, the burn trauma leads to a capillary leakage syndrome, resulting in severe hypovolemia. Therefore, adequate volume substitution is the primary therapy to prevent potential life-threatening hypovolemic shock.