[Preservation of the outer ear in a complex burn injury]

Saving the outer ear in burn injuries is a challenging task for the treating surgeon that should not be underestimated. Burns which are initially evaluated as superficial, particularly in this region, often have a tendency to undergo progressive tissue destruction whereby conservative treatment is often no longer sufficient to preserve the skin of the auricle with the underlying cartilage. Various possibilities for saving the ear and for ear reconstruction are described, but in the case of severely burned patients it is often necessary to carry out a quick and relatively simple treatment. In the complicated case of a severely burned patient involving the external ear, a good cosmetic result could be finally obtained with preservation of form and function by means of an economical cartilage resection with subsequent adaptation.