Burns Flashcards
What is skin?
- The soft outer covering of vertebrates
•The largest organ in the body
•Skin is .5 cm to 4.0 cm thick
T or F: Women have thicker skin than men.
False; men have thicker skin
T or F: The young and elderly have thicker skin than adults.
False; the young and elderly have thinner skin than adults
T or F: Skin on various parts of the body varies in thickness and blood flow
True
The skin is made up of what three different layers?
Epidermis, dermis, hypodermis
What layer are melanocytes found in? What is the purpose of melanocytes?
Epidermis; melanocytes produce a protective skin-darkening pigment melanin
What layer are langerhans cells found in? What are their purpose?
Epidermis; they protect your skin from infection and produce allergic reactions
What layer are merkel cells found in? what are their functions?
Epidermis; it is a touch receptor
What is the outermost layer of the skin called?
epidermis
which layer of skin contains blood capillaries, hair follicles glands, nerve endings and receptors?
dermis
What layer of the skin is subcutaneous and contains fat and blood vessels?
Hypodermis
What are the functions of the skin?
- Temperature regulation
- Protection
- Sensation
- Excretion
- Immunity
- Blood reservoir
- Vitamin D synthesis
How do you classify a burn?
By level of cellular injury
•Use of Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF), MRI, and thermography
•Most often clinical observation is the techniques used
T or F: Superficial burn is known as a second degree burn.
False; superficial is formally known as a first degree burn
T or F: Partial thickness is formally known as a first degree burn.
False; partial thickness is formally known as a second degree burn
T or F: Full thickness is formally known as a second degree burn.
False; full thickness is formally known as a third degree burn
What are the characteristics of a superficial burn?
- Damage to cells on the epidermis only
- Red painful intact skin
- Heals spontaneously within 1-7 days
- No scarring
- “Think sun burn”
What are characteristics of a superficial partial thickness?
- Damage to epidermis parts of the dermis
- Red, wet, edematous, painful, blisters
- Reepithelialize in 7-21 days
- Minimal to no scarring
- Hair may be spared/ grow back
What are characteristics of deep partial thickness?
- Severe damage to dermal layer
- Blotchy and white
- Healing 3- 5 weeks (sluggish)
- Grafted to expedite healing
- Infection can lead to full thickness easily
- Scaring
What are characteristics of full thickness?
•Destruction of the epidermis, dermis and sometimes muscle/bone •Apears: –White/ gray –leathery –insensate –contracted •5-14 days via skin graft
What is the incidence and prevalence of burns?
•Burn Injuries Receiving Medical Treatment: 450,000
•Fire and Burn Deaths Per Year: 3,400
•Hospitalizations Related to Burn Injury: 40,000, including 30,000 at hospital burn centers
•Stats:
–Survival Rate: 96.1%
–Gender:
•69% male
•31% female
–Ethnicity:
•59% Caucasian, 19% African-American, 15% Hispanic, 7% Other
–Admission Cause:
•44% fire/flame, 33% scald, 9% contact, 4% electrical, 3% chemical, 7% other
–Place of Occurrence:
•69% home, 9% occupational, 7% street/highway, 5% Recreational/Sport, 10% Other
What are the types of burns?
- Thermal Burns
- Electrical Burns
- Chemical Burns
How are thermal burns usually caused?
– flame
– scald
– flash
– contact with a hot surface
T or F: Thermal burns are most common in teenagers.
False; Most common in children and older adults
What are the most common mechanisms for thermal burns?
Hot drinks and hot bathwater
T or F: Thermal burns vary in depth secondary to length of exposure to heat source
True
What type of thermal burns tend to be superficial or partial thickness burns?
Scald burns tend to be superficial or partial thickness burns
What type of thermal burns tend to be partial and full thickness?
Flame burns are usually partial and full thickness; contact burns can be partial to full thickness
What two types of thermal burns are considered “dirty wounds”?
Flame and scald; because debris from the fire or hot liquid can
contaminate the wound
T or F: If the skin barrier is broken there is a greater
chance for infection
True; This may then change treatment option; such
as dressing choice