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Burn Clinic
Burn Clinic
At the Burn Clinic, Shihwa Medical Center, we provide prompt diagnosis and effective treatment based on professional clinical experience on burns. We help burn patients to recover systematically, reduces scars and minimizes after-effects, so that they can quickly return to daily life.
What is a burn?
Burns mean that body tissues are deformed or damaged by fire, hot water, or chemical substances, resulting in death or loss of normal functions. Burns are usually graded 1 to 4 depending on the symptoms.
The severity of the burn is determined depending on the extent and depth of the burn, given the area of the burn and age factors. Electrical burns or chemicals can lead to serious sequelae. Especially in electrical burns, the burn lesion may look small, but can cause damage to internal tissues and organs, or even cardiac arrhythmias, so it is essential to see the doctor.
Burn causes
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Thermal burns Thermal burn is an injury that causes cell necrosis and protein degeneration due to heat damage to the skin and deep tissues. It is usually caused by flames, boiling liquids, hot substances or gases.
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Chemical burns Chemical burns are caused by strong acids or alkalis, phenols, cresols, or phosphorus.
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Electrical burns It is a burn caused by electric shock to the body, and even low voltage used in households may lead to burns. Most electrical burns affect the skin and nearby tissues because the skin that comes into contact with the conductor is resistant to electrical current. Electrical damage can cause sudden respiratory arrest or heart shock.
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Contact burns This is damage caused by contact with a heated solid. It is easily exposed in daily life, and the wound is small in size, but often deep. It may also occur if it is in contact with a low-temperature object (hot pack, electric blanket, heat pack, etc.) for a long time.
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Radiation burns A typical example of radiation burn is exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays for a long time, and it can be caused by ultraviolet rays emitted by a tanning machine.
Classification of burns
| 1st-degree burns | It is caused by prolonged exposure to direct sunlight or instantaneous contact or exposure to high heat. After a burn, the wounded area is dry and the skin turns red. It is characterized by pain relief after about 48 hours. |
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| 2nd-degree burns | It is mainly caused by scalding or light flame burns. In most cases, it is accompanied by blisters and swelling of the subcutaneous tissue, followed by severe pain. In most cases of mild second-degree burns, complete healing is possible in 10 to 14 days. However, in the case of severe second-degree burns, healing takes about 20 days, and in some cases, skin graft surgery can be needed. |
| 3rd-degree burns | In this burn, damage has spread to the epidermis and dermis layer of the skin as well as the subcutaneous fat layer. As a result, a thick skin crust (eschar) is formed. The eschar is dead tissue characterized by insensitivity and skin grafting is needed. |
| 4th-degree burns | It’s a case where damage has invaded not only the entire layer of skin and subcutaneous fat, but also deeper muscles, ligaments, or bones. It may be accompanied by various systemic symptoms, and the severity is determined by the surface area involved and the depth and location of the burn. |
How to respond to a burn in the early stage
- 1Promptly remove clothing or cloths from the burned area.
- 2Burns caused by chemicals such as acid or base should be washed thoroughly with running water.
- 3Be careful when applying ointment, etc. since it may make the burn progress at the beginning stage.
- 4Rings, watches, earrings, necklaces, etc. should be removed early, since they can store heat for a long time.
- 5It is recommended to cover the burned area with a damp towel or cloth without applying anything.
- 6It is important to go to the hospital as soon as possible after washing the burned area with tap or ice water.
Burn examination
For common mild burns, seeing the doctor would be sufficient and no special examination is needed. However, for severe burns, a general blood test, general chemistry test, electrolyte test, arterial blood gas test, blood coagulation test, and urine test are required.
In case of electrical burns, muscle enzyme test and urine myoglobin test are also added. If the patient has symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, facial burns, abnormal sounds from the lungs, sooty sputum or swelling of the larynx, and changes in voice, an inhalation injury is suspected and a chest X-ray should be performed.
Arrhythmias may occur up to 72 hours after high-voltage electrical injury. If abnormal findings are shown in electrocardiogram, the patient needs to be hospitalized and observed until the electrocardiogram becomes normal.