Burn Treatment

Burn treatment is a process that involves stopping the burning, assessing the burns and then deciding on appropriate treatment.

Burn Treatment Process

1. Stopped the burning process
2. Assessed airway, breathing and circulation
3. Evaluated the extent and depth of the burn
4. Assessed the criteria for referral to a burn center
5. Have observed for and treated associated injuries.

Stages of Burn Treatment

These are the stages of burn treatment:

1. Fluid replacement is the most important part of initial burn treatment. The skin cannot survive without fluid replacement, and burns, at the most simplest explanation, remove the fluid from tissues.
2. Fluid replacement may result in a huge amount of swelling, as the burned tissue restricts other healthy tissue. Sometimes, an escharotomy is performed. A cut is made into the burned flesh to allow the skin to spread apart and reduce the pressure on the damaged and burned tissue.
3. Sometimes the burn patient's airway is damaged from inhalation or from actual burning. The patient may need to have a breathing tube down his or her throat to help him or her breathe. This is called intubation.
4. As soon as the patient is stabilized, and the physicians think he or she is strong enough for surgery, they may perform surgery to remove the damaged tissue.