Initial management of the burn wound patient
Amanda Curtis
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Wounds are a common occurrence in veterinary medicine, ranging from traumatic injuries to surgical complications, but most of these wounds will not require as comprehensive multimodal management as the severe burn patient. A burn wound is defined as thermal damage to the two main skin layers which causes coagulation and microvascular reactions. This leads to increased capillary and extravascular permeability and vasodilation, subsequently these reactions can cause numerous complications including burn shock, sepsis, severe oedema, multisystem organ failure and death. If appropriate management is initiated from when the patient is first presented, then an attempt can be made to prevent these adverse events from occurring. This article aims to cover the initial emergency stabilisation of the burn patient and some of the wound management options available.
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