L6 Burn Rehab Flashcards
(117 cards)
Burns Definition
injuries resulting from direct contact or exposure to thermal, chemical, electrical, or radiation source
Burns Incidence
1.4-2 million burn injuries a year
3rd leading cause of accidental death in all age groups
Thermal burns
contact exposure to flames, hot liquids, steam, semisolids, hot objects, frostbite
Chemical burns
tissue contact, ingestion, inhalation or injection with strong acids, bases, organic compounds
Electrical burns
contact with exposed electrical wiring, high voltage power lines, lightning
Radiation burns
exposure to radioactive source such as in industry or therapeutic radiation sources
Mechanism/Etiology of Burns
Thermal
Chemical
Electrical
Radiation
Highest risk groups for burns
<3 years old, >70 year old
RF For burns
inadequate adult supervision
psychomotor dysfunction
mobile home
rural location
occupation
lack of smoke detectors
fireworks
misuse of cigarettes
physical abuse
Burn prevention
majority of burns are preventable
provide education about common burns
things to remember: limited temp devices on water heaters, shower curtains vs cubicles, safe use of O2, simple cooking precautions
Cooking precautions
avoid high heat
don’t wear loose sleeves
use front burners
avoid leaning over oven
Factors that influence severity of burn
depth
size
location
age
general health
MOI
Skin Layers
Epidermis
Dermis (papillary and Reticular)
Hypodermis/subcutaneous
Superficial depth
damage to or loss of epidermis
often 1st degree
Partial thickness burn
loss of epidermis, and damage/loss of portion of dermis
superficial = mid dermal
deep = deep dermal
2nd degree burns
Full thickness burns
loss of epidermis and entirety of dermis
3rd degree burns
Characteristics of superficial burns
- sunburn
- no blistering
- red, painful
- blanches w/pressure
- not calculated in the total body surface area
Characteristics of partial thickness burns
- Red, blisters, mod to severe pain, moderate scarring
- Epidermal appendages aren’t always damaged
- Deep requires surgery
- Wound convergence
Superficial partial thickness
burn extends into papillary layer
wet and very painful
typically heal in <21 days
Deep partial thickness burn
extends into reticular layer
typically take >21 days to heal, more likely to need skin graft
often has less edema, less likely to heal. Is often lower in apperance than healthy skin
Layers of injury (2nd degree)
Zone of necrosis (dead tissue)
Edema Layer
Zone of injury
Normal Tissue
Superficial has lots of edema, vs deep that has almost none, so zone of necrosis extends further down
Full thickness burns characteristics
- white, dry
- Graft is necessary
- no pain
- scarring
Indeterminate degree burns
MIXED partial and full thickness
Wound conversion
wound can convert to a deeper or more severe wound
most likely to occur with mid to deep dermal injury b/c of lack of blood flow, longer healing, increased risk of inflammation