RT Book, Section
A1 Schindlbeck, Michael A.
A1 Brown, Jr., Carlos E.
A2 Reichman, Eric F.
SR Print(0)
ID 1159804191
T1 Escharotomy
T2 Reichman's Emergency Medicine Procedures, 3e
YR 2018
FD 2018
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259861925
LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1159804191
RD 2024/04/19
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.1-3  Over  40,000  of  these  patients  required  inpatient  treatment  for  their  injuries  and  up  to  73%  of  these  injuries  occur  at  home.  The  associated  expenses  are  staggering.  The  mean  hospital  stay  was  over  1  week  and  at  an  average  cost  over  $50,000  per  admission.  An  average  of  over  4500  individuals  per  year  died  from  burn-related  injuries.  Fires  and  burns  represent  the  fifth,  third,  sixth,  and  eighth  leading  causes  of  unintentional  injury  deaths  in  the  United  States  for  the  age  groups  of  1  to  4  years,  5  to  9  years,  10  to  14  years,  and  ≥  65  years,  respectively.1  Less  than  6%  of  the  above  patients  who  were  admitted  to  a  recognized  burn  center  subsequently  died  from  their  injuries.2-4These  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.