Practical management of burns and inhalation injury

Abstract

Burn injuries are often associated with profound physiologic derangements due to the nature of the underlying injuries and the overwhelming inflammatory response that ensues. In recent decades, a number of advancements have been made in the management of thermal burns. Inhalation injury frequently occurs in patients with thermal burns and can be a significant source of morbidity and mortality. Due to the intense inflammatory response that occurs after a burn injury, early aggressive volume resuscitation is necessary to minimize the risk of developing multiorgan dysfunction. Adequate sedation and analgesia, early enteral nutrition, physical rehabilitation, excision and grafting, and other supportive measures are also critically important to promoting healing and improving long-term outcomes. This review outlines a general approach to the management of patients with burn and inhalation injuries and highlights some of the recent advances in the care of these patients.