Exam 2 Review:  Chapter 5:  Burns

burns - An injury to tissue produced by fire, heat, friction, radiation, electricity, or a caustic agent; burns are classified according to their severity as determined by how many tissue layers (epidermis, dermis, hypodermis, deeper tissues) are involved and by the extent and character of the lesion (inflamed - inflamed and blistered - inflamed, blistered and charred).

first-degree burn - A mild burn that produces redness/inflammation of the skin but no blistering; epidermal damage only.

second-degree burn - A burn that blisters the skin and is more severe than a first-degree burn; epidermal and some dermal damage.

partial-thickness burn - An alternative category for classifying burns which includes both first- and second-degree burns; epidermal and, perhaps, some dermal damage.

third-degree burn - A severe burn in which the skin and underlying tissues are destroyed and sensitive nerve endings are exposed; severe epidermal and dermal damage as well as some damage to subcutaneous and even deeper tissues.

full thickness burn - An alternative category for classifying burns which includes the third-degree burns; severe epidermal and dermal damage as well as some damage to subcutaneous and even deeper tissues.

rule of nines - A method used clinically to roughly estimate the amount of fluid lost from a burn patient by computing the percentage of body surface burned; the body is divided into 11 areas, each accounting for 9% of the total body area, and a 12^th area representing the 1% of body surface occupied by the genitals.  [See Fig. 5-8, p. 168 and below]

List:

 9. three types of burns and their characteristics.

         first-degree burn - redness of the skin but no blistering
         second-degree burn - redness of the skin and blistering
         third-degree burn - skin and underlying tissues are destroyed and sensitive nerve endings are exposed

10. Make a table showing the classification of burns according to severity, the corresponding levels of tissue damage, and the resulting physiological effects.

 

Classification of Burn	Levels of Tissue Damage	Physiological Effects
first-degree burn	epidermal damage only	inflammation only, no scarring
second-degree burn	epidermal and some dermal damage	inflammation and blistering, little likelihood for scarring
third-degree burn	severe epidermal and dermal damage as well as some damage to subcutaneous and even deeper tissues	inflammation, blistering, charring, tissue weeping and dehydration, great potential for infection, scarring very likely

For more on burns, visit MedicineNet.com.