Burn Resuscitation and Early Management

Abstract

Burns are the fourth most common type of trauma worldwide, after traffic injuries, falls, and interpersonal violence. This is a concise review of recent burn fluid management literature. Strategies to avoid over-resuscitation are discussed. Advances in the care of burned patients have historically been related to the larger field of critical care, especially regarding infectious complications, nutritional supplementation, and metabolic manipulations. The unique resuscitation requirements of burn patients have recently been re-examined to minimize over-resuscitation and its associated complications, which can also be an issue in non-burned critically ill patients. However, burn patients often require multiple sequential operations. The loss of the normal skin barrier increases the risk of multiple infections, sepsis, and organ failure. This review will summarize some of the recent advances in burn care.