Management of the Burned Patient

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Pathophysiology & Assessment - Flames & First Response

  • Etiology: Flames, scalds, chemical, electrical.
  • First Response (ABCDE):
    • Stop burning; remove constrictions.
    • Airway (check for inhalation injury: soot, facial burns).
    • Breathing; Circulation (IV access).
  • Assessment:
    • Depth: Superficial, Partial, Full-thickness.
    • TBSA: Rule of Nines (Adults), Lund-Browder (Peds).
      • 📌 Rule of Nines: Head/Arm 9% each, Leg/Trunk (front/back) 18% each, Perineum 1%.
  • Pathophysiology: Mediator release → ↑capillary permeability → edema, hypovolemia → shock.
  • Fluids: Parkland: $4mL \times \text{wt (kg)} \times %TBSA$. Rule of Nines for TBSA Burn Assessment

⭐ Administer half of total 24-hr resuscitation fluid in first 8 hrs post-burn.

Airway & Respiratory - Breathing Through Fire

  • Inhalation Injury Assessment:
    • Signs: Facial burns, singed nasal hairs, soot, hoarseness, stridor.
    • History: Enclosed space fire.
  • Early Intubation Criteria:
    • Stridor, respiratory distress, hypoxia ($PaO_2$ <60 mmHg), hypercapnia ($PaCO_2$ >50 mmHg).
    • GCS <8, extensive facial/neck burns, circumferential neck burns.
    • Use larger ETT (edema).
  • Management:
    • 100% humidified O₂.
    • Bronchodilators.
    • Lung protective ventilation (ARDS).
    • Monitor COHb (>10% = CO poisoning).
    • Consider cyanide poisoning.
    • Chest escharotomy for circumferential chest burns.

Laryngoscopic view: airway edema and soot in burn patient

⭐ Early prophylactic intubation is critical in suspected airway burns as edema can rapidly progress, making later intubation difficult or impossible.

Fluid Resuscitation - Quenching the Inferno

  • Goal: Combat shock, maintain perfusion.
  • Fluid of Choice: Ringer's Lactate (RL).
  • Parkland Formula: $4 \text{ mL} \times \text{Wt (kg)} \times % \text{TBSA (2nd/3rd°)}$.
    • Administer:
      • ½ in first 8 hrs (from burn).
      • ½ in next 16 hrs.
  • Monitoring & Endpoints:
    • Urine Output (UOP):
      • Adults: 0.5-1 mL/kg/hr.
      • Children (<30kg): 1-2 mL/kg/hr.
      • Electrical burns: Target 75-100 mL/hr (or 1-1.5 mL/kg/hr for myoglobinuria).
    • Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) > 65 mmHg.
    • Lactate < 2 mmol/L.
    • Improved sensorium.

⭐ The "first 8 hours" for Parkland formula fluid administration starts from the time of burn injury, not from hospital arrival.

Intraoperative Anesthesia - Navigating Burn Surgery

  • Agents: Ketamine (induction); Volatiles/TIVA (maintenance). Non-depolarizers: ↑ dose, monitor blockade.
  • Monitoring: Standard + Arterial line, CVP. Core temp (esophageal/bladder). Urine output > 0.5-1 mL/kg/hr.
  • Fluids & Blood: Aggressive resuscitation. Anticipate major blood loss; transfuse for Hb > 7-8 g/dL.
  • Temperature: Maintain normothermia: Warm OR (>28°C), fluid warmers, forced air warmers.
  • Analgesia: Multimodal approach (opioids, ketamine).

⭐ Succinylcholine is contraindicated 24 hours to 2 years post-burn due to severe hyperkalemia risk from extrajunctional receptor upregulation. )

Post‑Op & Complications - Aftermath & Alerts

  • Pain Control: Multimodal analgesia (opioids, ketamine, regional).
  • Infection: Major risk. Monitor for sepsis (fever, ↑HR, ↑RR, WBC changes). Wound care crucial.
    • Antibiotic stewardship.
  • Fluid Balance: Titrate to UO (>0.5-1 mL/kg/hr adults, >1 mL/kg/hr children).
  • Nutrition: High protein, high calorie. Early enteral feeding.
  • Key Complications:
    • Hypothermia: Aggressive warming.
    • ARDS, VAP.
    • AKI (rhabdomyolysis).
    • Curling's ulcer (PPI prophylaxis).
    • Contractures: Early PT/OT. ⭐ > Sepsis is the leading cause of late mortality in burn patients. Pathophysiology of Burn Injury and Organ Dysfunction

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • Prioritize airway management, especially with inhalational injury; early intubation is key.
  • Aggressive fluid resuscitation (Parkland: 4mL x %TBSA x kg) is crucial; target urine output 0.5-1 mL/kg/hr.
  • Avoid succinylcholine >24 hrs post-burn due to severe hyperkalemia risk.
  • Expect resistance to NDMRs; higher doses may be needed.
  • Actively prevent hypothermia due to significant heat loss.
  • Utilize multimodal analgesia for comprehensive pain relief.
  • Consider CO poisoning in smoke inhalation; give 100% oxygen immediately_._

Practice Questions: Management of the Burned Patient

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Flashcards: Management of the Burned Patient

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A patient in sepsis, DIC, ARDS would be classified under ASA _____

IV

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