Expert consensus on the treatment of second-degree burn wounds (2024 edition)

Abstract

Second-degree burn is the most common type of burns in clinical practice and hard to manage. The choice of its treatment requires not only consideration of the different outcomes that may arise from dressing changes or surgical treatments themselves, but also evaluation of factors such as burn site, ages of patients, and burn area. Meanwhile, there is no unified standard and specification for the diagnosis, classification, surgical procedure, and infection judgment and grading of second-degree burn wounds, which significantly affects the formulation of clinical treatment plans and the consistency of clinical studies. Moreover, there is relatively few guidelines or expert consensus for the management of second-degree burn wounds, and no comprehensive and systematic guideline or expert consensus for the treatment of second-degree burn wounds. The consensus writing group developed the Expert consensus on the treatment of second-degree burn wounds (2024 edition) based on evidence-based medicine evidence and expert opinion. This expert consensus put forward 58 specific recommendations from four aspects: pre-hospital first aid, non-surgical treatment, surgical treatment, and infection prevention and treatment of second-degree burns wounds, aiming to form a standardized clinical treatment plan for second-degree burns.