Management of the Burn Wound

Abstract

Current approaches to burn management are based on an understanding of the biology and physiology of human skin and the pathophysiology of the burn wound. The clinical evaluation and initial care of a burn wound is described and includes an assessment of burn depth, determining the need for escharatomy and daily burn wound care. Burns can be topical or surgical. Topical burn wounds require choice in the use of antibiotics. Considerations and techniques for surgical burn wound management are described and include early excision and grafting, wound excision, skin grafting, graft and donor-site dressings, postoperative wound care, biologic dressings and skin substitutes, allograft and xenograft skin, cultured epidermal autografts, and skin substitutes. Figures show the two distinct layers of the skin, various types of burns, and both fascial and tangential excision of burn wounds. This review contains 12 figures, 11 tables, and 61 references. Keywords: Burn wound, graft, partial-thickness, full-thickness, dermis, epidermis, sloughing, dressing