Burn Injuries
For burn injuries care, it is necessary to relieve the pain and heal the wound as quickly as possible. Bangkok Hospital’s Medevac Center and our experienced multi-disciplined medical staff – together with our modern equipment and technology – stands ready to care for our patients with burn injuries from the initial admission through to preventing complications from the wounds or reducing scaring, so that our patients can maintain their self-confidence.
Types of Burn Injuries
Burns are classified into 3 categories, depending on how deeply and severely they penetrate the skin’s surface.
First-Degree Burn: This affects only the outer layers of skin (the epidermis). The burn site is red, sore and painful to being touch. The skin around the wound is intact and has no blisters. It can heal by itself, and the care is focused on preventing skin irritation. The wound exhibits reddish or darker colors which will fade away.
Second-Degree Burn: In this type of injury, the epidermis and part of the deeper layer of skin (the dermis) are affected. The patient feels severe burning pain around the wound. The burn site is blistered. If the skin in broken, red or pink deeper layers of the skin can be seen along with seeping lymph fluid. The wound is healed after the damaged skin has fallen off and is replaced by healthy cells. Caring for the second-degree burn involves regular cleaning of the wound. But if the injury is very deep, it is necessary to remove the damaged area so that the wound can heal quickly, preventing any infection. Proper care will reduce harm to the tissue and lessen the chance of problems due to scaring.
Third-Degree Burn: Both the epidermis and dermis layers are destroyed. The injuries may reach muscle and bone. The wound is dry and hard, while the blood vessels around the burn site are clogged. Healing is complete only after the damaged skin is replaced by new tissue membrane, which takes a longer time and may result in a thicken scar (keloid). The membrane could also pull the skin around the wound, causing disfigurement. It might be necessary to removed damaged tissue and graft the skin, to encourage speedy recovery. Caring for this type of injury is complex and should be handled by an experienced medical team.
Patients’ Concerns
- They are anxious about treatment of the wound – soreness, burning pain.
- They may worry that they might lose the damaged part of their bodies: e.g., hand, foot, finger, toe etc.
- They are nervous about disfigurement, scar, or the look of the injury.
- A common concern is the phycological effect. It is a very important problem for many patients.
Burn Injuries Treatment Process
The medical team will determine the severity, size and depth of the wound based critically on the injury. It is crucial that a specialized and experienced medical team performs all the necessary treatments, which consist of:
- Administering fluid to compensate for any loss of fluid outside of the blood vessels, and to prevent any infection of the wound. In case of an infection, it may become necessary to remove damaged tissue and perform skin-grafting. This also includes monitoring for any problem as well as swelling which may require timely surgery to reduce pressure on muscle compartments, in order to prevent complications that may lead to loss of organ.
- Administering high protein nutrition to encourage immunity for speedy healing. In cases where patients need to be on ventilation machines, this will help them recover more quickly and, thus, reduces mortality rate.
However, the first 1 – 2 weeks are extremely critical. Proper treatment and care of burn injuries will lessen the possibility of any additional problem.
Technology Involved in Burn Injury Surgery
The technology applied in the surgery on patients with burn injuries helps quicken recovery and reduce scaring. This includes:
- Hydrosurgery – This technique uses a small jet of highly pressurized water to remove damaged tissue. An advantage of this method is that the effects on undamaged tissues – especially at the hypodermis layer – are reduced which, consequently, will allow the wound to heal by itself; thus, lessen the need for skin-grafting.
- MEEK Micrograft – This method involves cutting and arranging the skin grafts in such a way that they can cover 4 to 9 times the donor site, allowing more area of the wound to be covered effectively as compared to the traditional approach.
- Wound Dressing – The type of bandage used has the special ability to destroy any bacteria while accelerating the skin growth, enabling the wound to heal more quickly. Bandaging includes silicone bandages, wound dressing gel, etc. In this case, it is necessary to have an experienced medical team to select the appropriate type of bandaging for each wound.
Our Services
Bangkok Hospital’s Medevac Center stands ready to take care of any burn injury – from the initial admission through to preventing scaring problems – with our experienced multi-disciplined medical team. We provide careful treatment plans that cover every facet of our patients’ burn injuries care – through our surgeons, infectious disease specialists, psychiatrists, rehabilitation doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, as well as anesthesiologists in cases where surgeries are required. For severe burn injuries, we are equipped to provide immediate care – such as providing fluid to help the patient recover from burn shock or kidney failure. Also, the healing process includes a regiment of nutrition and additional treatments – such as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – all of which will help quicken the recovery and, at the same time, lessen mortality rate, reduce complications, minimize scaring and keloids. Post-treatment care involves close follow-ups, to ensure that each patient is healthy and can confidently return to normal life again.
Beat Burn Injuries, Call 1724 BDMS MEDVAC CENTER