Burns Injury

Question 1

Define burns injury

Answer 1

When tissue damage occurs by thermal, electrical or chemical injury

Question 2

What are the causes/risk factors of burns injury?

Answer 2

• Contact with hot objects (lol)
• Electricity
• UV light
• Irradiation
• Chemicals

High Risk Patients

• Young children
• Elderly

Question 3

What are the signs of burns injury?

Answer 3

• Check for inhalational injury or airway compromise:
- Stridor 
- Dyspnoea
- Hoarse voice 
- Soot in nose 
- Singed nose hairs 
- Carbonaceous sputum
• Check site, depth and distribution of burn
• Partial Thickness Burn

Subdivided into:
• Superficial: red and oedematous skin + PAINFUL
- Heals within around 7 days with peeling of dead skin
• Deep: blistering and mottling + PAINFUL
- Heals over 3 weeks, usually without scarring
• Full Thickness Burn
- Destruction of the epidermis and dermis
- Charred leathery eschars
- Firm and PAINLESS with loss of sensation
- Healing will occur by scarring or contractures and requires skin grafting
• Size of Burn
- Described as a percentage of body surface area

Question 4

What investigations are carried out for burns injury?

Answer 4

• Bloods
- Oxygen saturation, ABG and carboxyhaemoglobin (if inhalational injury)
- FBC
- U&Es 
- Group and Save 
• Investigations for electrical burns
- Serum CK 
- Urine myoglobin (check for muscle damage)
- ECG