RT Book, Section
A1 Reichman, Eric F.
SR Print(0)
ID 57712027
T1 Chapter 114. Escharotomy
T2 Emergency Medicine Procedures, 2e
YR 2013
FD 2013
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-161352-1
LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57712027
RD 2024/04/24
AB Few  injuries  have  the  same  capacity  for  physical  destruction  and  emotional  devastation  as  do  thermal  burns.  They  are  relatively  common  presentations  that  often  require  resource-intensive  management.  The  preceding  decade  saw  nearly  500,000  burn  injuries  per  year  receiving  medical  care  in  the  United  States.  Over  40,000  of  these  patients  required  inpatient  treatment  for  their  injuries,  and  up  to  25%  of  these  injuries  were  work  related.  The  associated  expenses  are  staggering.  The  mean  hospital  stay  was  in  excess  of  1  week  and  at  an  average  cost  over  50,000  dollars  per  admission.  Over  this  same  10-year  period,  an  average  of  over  4000  individuals  per  year  died  as  a  result  of  burn-related  injuries.  Fires  and  burns  now  represent  the  fifth  leading  cause  of  unintentional  injury  deaths  in  the  United  States.1  Conversely,  less  than  6%  of  the  above  patients  who  were  admitted  to  a  recognized  burn  center  subsequently  died  as  a  result  of  their  injuries.2–4  These  data  underscore  the  need  for  rapid  and  effective  emergency  care  focused  on  facilitating  the  successful  transfer  of  these  patients  to  specialized  burn  centers.  The  initial  management  of  these  patients  invariably  falls  upon  the  Emergency  Department.  The  Emergency  Physician  needs  to  be  well  versed  in  the  recognition  of  acute  thermal  injuries,  their  associated  complications,  and  their  appropriate  treatment.