Severe burn injuries: acute and long-term treatment

The physician that initially sees a patient with an extensive and deep dermal burn injury must be able to provide initial acute treatment and to make a well-founded decision whether to have the patient transported to a burn care center (BCC). Physicians from a variety of specialities will be involved in the management of long-term sequelae.

This article provides an overview of the treatment of severe burns and their commonest complications. Special attention is paid to initial emergency treatment (first aid) and to late complications, because physicians from multiple specialties are often involved in these phases of treatment. The data and guidelines that are summarized here were obtained through a selective Medline search and supplemented by the authors' experience in their own burn care center.

Analgesia, careful fluid balance, and early intubation are important elements of the initial emergency treatment. Long-term complications of burns, such as disfiguring scars on exposed areas of skin and functionally significant contractures, often require surgical treatment. Early measures for scar care may improve the outcome.

The effective treatment of severe burns is interdisciplinary, involving general practitioners and emergency physicians as well as plastic surgeons and physicians of other specialties. Knowledge of the basic principles of treatment enables physicians to care for patients with burns appropriately both in the acute setting and in the long term.