Management of Burn Wounds in the Emergency Department.

摘要

In the United States, more than 1 million patients per year sustain burn injuries [1]. Of these, approximately 700,000 seek care in an emergency department, and approximately 45,000 are hospitalized. One half of these admissions are received by the approximately 125 specialized burn centers; the other one half are admitted to other hospitals. Thus, only approximately 4.5% of burn patients actually are hospitalized. The majority of patients who have burns are seen by emergency medicine providers. Accordingly, this article provides guidance for the triage of burn victims and an approach to the treatment of patients who have major burns in the first several hours after injury. There are some general remarks with respect to special injuries, such as electrical and chemical injuries. Finally, outpatient treatment of patients who have minor burns is described.