A and P 1 Case Study (Burn Victim)
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Jan 9, 2024
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Joel Dube Anatomy and Physiology I
Professor Conway
10/12/22
A Burn Survivor Case Study
A burn can occur a number of ways and the severity of a burn may vary, meaning that the method for treating a burn will alter depending on both the degree of the burn and how the burn occurred. A burn is classified as an injury to the skin or other organic tissue primarily caused by heat or due to radiation, radioactivity, electricity, friction, or contact with chemicals (World Health Organization 2018). Burns may also be classified as thermal burns, which occur when some or all of the skin’s cells in the skin or other tissue are destroyed by scalds, hot solids, or flames (World Health organization 2018). Burns are considered a global pandemic and account for an estimated 180,000 annual deaths (World Health Organization 2018). At roughly 90%, the vast majority of burns happen at home or at the workplace in what are believed to be largely middle to low-income countries (World Health Organization 2018). When assessing a burn, it is important that one identifies the degree of the burn as this will determine how it will be treated. A first-degree burn is damage to the first or outer layer of skin known as the epidermis. Burn damage to the epidermis will appear pink, red, dry and mildly painful (UC San Diego Health 2022). An example of a first-degree burn would be a sunburn, some peeling may occur but there will be no scarring. A second-degree burn is commonly identified by blistering, as well as swelling. Second-degree burns are more painful than first degree burns and damage both the first and second layer of skin, also known as the epidermis and dermis. The final type of burn, or a third-degree burn, is when the burn destroys all three
layers of the skin. In the case of the 27 year old male who experienced both second and third degree burns, the reason why he does not feel any pain in the areas that have been the most damaged by the flames is because third-degree burns typically mean that the nerves in the skin have been destroyed (UC San Diego health 2022). A good way to tell apart a second- and third-
degree burn will also be by the color of the effected skin. In the case of the 27-year-old male, one
could determine almost immediately that the burns on his chest and arms were third degree by the skins pale and almost white coloration. This is because third-degree burns extend into the fat layer that lies beneath the dermis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Research and Education 2022). When treating these burns it is critical to remember that the one thing you must not do is treat these wounds with ice, ice water, or even cold water (Mayo Foundation for Medical Research and Education 2022).
Following a significant and catastrophic burn injury one may be required to get skin grafted to replace scarred tissue or to help one heal properly. Skin grafting is the process of taking skin tissue from an uninjured portion of the body and using it to close a wound or to replace damaged skin, such as one caused by a burn, on another part of your body (Morrow & Sheppard LLP 2021). There are two types of skin grafting, sheet grafts and mesh grafts. Sheet grafts are the smaller of the two types and are commonly placed over burns on the hands and face (Morrow & Sheppard LLP 2021). Mesh grafts on the other hand are designed to cover large burns and do so without losing elasticity or resilience (Morrow & Sheppard LLP 2021). In the case of the 27-year-old male who suffered both second and third degree burns it is likely that chest and arm areas will likely need skin grafting whereas the neck and face will not since the chest and arm areas had suffered from third degree burns whereas the face and neck had suffered
from second degree burns. Second degree burns can be separated into two categories, superficial and deep. Superficial second degree burns commonly heal with conservative care in one to three
weeks, however, deep second-degree burns may appear drier, and the sensation of that skin may be diminished (UC San Diego Health 2022). Deep second-degree burns may require skin grafting however this is only after seeing the effects that conservative care have on the burn (UC San Diego Health 2022). Seeing as one is unable to determine the type of second degree burn that the victim in this case had suffered from it would be reasonable to deduce that it is unlikely the 27-year-old male will be requiring skin grafting on the second degree burns he suffered on his neck and face
.
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Works Cited
“Burns.”
Mayo Clinic
, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 13 Aug. 2022, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/burns/symptoms-causes/syc-20370539.
“Burns.”
World Health Organization
, World Health Organization, 6 Mar. 2018, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/burns.
“UC San Diego Health.”
UC Health - UC San Diego
, https://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/burn-
center/pages/about-burns.aspx.
“Which Type of Burn Injury Requires Skin Grafting?”
Morrow & Sheppard LLP
, 14 Sept. 2021, https://www.morrowsheppard.com/blog/which-type-of-burn-injury-requires-skin-grafting/.