Burns

Burns occur at an alarming rate. In the United States alone, an estimated two million people suffer from burns each year, and of those two million burn victims, about 500,000 people seek treatment for the burns and 40,000 people are hospitalized (“Facts,” n.d.). Most burn injuries happen at work or at home, with about 40% of all burns happening at home (“First,” 2011). Burn injuries cause about 300,000 serious injuries each year, and are attributed to the cause of approximately 6,000 deaths each year, making burns America’s third largest cause of accidental death (“Facts,” n.d.).

There are three main categories of burns, which are named for the depth of tissue affected by the burn. The first, and most common, type of burn is known as a superficial burn. This type of burn was formerly known as a first degree burn and it only effects the outermost layer of skin which is called the epidermis. Superficial burns are the least harmful and they usually heal in a week or less. The burn area is usually dry, red, and painful with no blisters present (“Classification,” 2013). The most common example of a superficial burn is a mild sunburn.

The second type of burn is a partial thickness burn, formerly known as a second degree burn. This type of burn effects all of the epidermis and part of the underlying dermis. The healing time of partial thickness burns depends on the extent of the burn, but it ranges from one week to over a month. The skin will be white or red, blistered, shiny, possibly look wet, and painful to the touch (“Classification,” 2013). Partial thickness burns can be caused by scalding.

The final type of burns to be discussed are full thickness burns, formerly known as third degree burns. These burns are the most severe and ...

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...with severe burns can, with the immediate help of a competent health care team with access to the right equipment and supplies, have a good chance of survival, even when faced with the nation’s third leading cause of accidental death: burns.

Works Cited

Burn percentage in adults: rule of nines. (2012, July 30). Emedicinehealth. Retrieved from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/burn_percentage_in_adults_rule_of_nines/article_em.htm

Classification and treatment of burns. (2013). Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. Retrieved from http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/burns/classify.html

Facts about burns. (n.d.) University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Burn Center. Retrieved from http://surgery.med.miami.edu/burns/get-the-facts

First aid & emergencies. (2011, January 04). WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/tc/burns-topic-overview