Emergency room and acute care of the critically III burned patient

Abstract

The natural history of serious burns is characterized by burn shock, which can be fatal within the first few hours to days, particularly in those with untreated large burns. Burn wound sepsis is the major cause of mortality among those who survive the burn shock. Survival and outcome after major burn injury have improved over the last 20 years due to improved understanding of the pathophysiologic nature of burn injury, better resuscitation, and advances in control of post-burn sepsis including early, aggressive surgical treatment [1]. © 2007 Springer Science + Business Media Inc.