Why Are Burns a Serious Medical Condition?
Everyone has accidentally touched a hot stove (or oven, or pan, or kettle), and even those minor burn injuries can be really painful! When it comes to major burn injuries or burns that cover a large percentage of the body, there can be major consequences that affect every part of your life in ways you may not expect.
What is a burn?
Burns are defined as tissue damage (not just skin!) resulting from exposure to more than just heat; chemicals, electricity, radiation, and even plain old sunlight also cause burn injuries. To understand the mechanics of burns, we’ll need to talk a little bit about something most of us don’t really think about – your skin.
Your skin isn’t just the outer covering that keeps your insides safe and your outsides attractive. Instead, your skin is technically considered an organ and a part of your integumentary system. The integumentary system is a set of organs that form the outermost layer of you and is itself made up of layers. The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD) gives this overview of the three main layers of skin:
- Epidermis is the top layer of the skin, the part of the skin you see.
- Dermis is the second layer of skin. It’s much thicker and does a lot for your body.
- Subcutaneous fat is the bottom layer.
Together, these layers perform a wide variety of functions. To name just a few, your integumentary system helps to balance waste and regulate temperature through sweating, acts as a barrier to protect you from bacteria, and helps make Vitamin D from sunlight. Your skin plays a vital role in keeping you alive and well. Just like any other organ, damage to your skin can have consequences for other parts of you too.
How do you classify a burn degree?
It’s a common misconception that there are three and only three degrees of burns. In fact, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Burn Fact Sheet explains that “Burns are defined by how deep they are and how large an area they cover. A large burn injury is likely to include burned areas of different depths.” Generally speaking, the deeper the burn, the more serious it is.
NIH lists six categories of burns:
- First-degree burns. These damage the epidermis. They’re the types of burns you get when you touch that hot stove.
- Second-degree burns. These burns damage the epidermis and the dermis. Because they’re deeper, they need longer to heal, and you may have scarring. In some cases, second-degree burns require skin grafts.
- Third-degree burns. These burns can be life-altering. They may destroy both the epidermis and the dermis and can affect hair follicles and sweat glands. Skin grafts will be required, and the risk of contracture and infection are real.
Per NIH, “Fourth degree burns extend into fat, fifth degree burns into muscle, and sixth degree burns to bone.” These types of burns are generally fatal.
Why are serious burns life threatening?
When you are injured or have an infection, your body reacts with something called an inflammatory response. Under normal circumstances, this response helps to isolate the injury and begin the healing process. With severe burns, the inflammatory response goes into overdrive and wreaks havoc all over the body. The NIGMS Burn Fact Sheet explains that:
During this inflammatory response, there is fluid loss that can cause a sharp and potentially deadly drop in blood pressure known as shock. Fluid can also become trapped inside the body, leading to swelling known as edema. If tissues and organs do not receive enough oxygen because of shock, edema, or something else, they suffer damage and can fail. The lungs, heart, brain, and kidneys are particularly susceptible.
Infection is also a major concern. Burns damage the skin’s protective barrier, meaning bacteria and other foreign invaders can sneak in. Burns also weaken the immune system, so the body is less able to fight off threats. Infections can take hold not only in the injured area, but also in organs such as the lungs (pneumonia) and bloodstream (sepsis), where they are potentially lethal.
For all these reasons, burns are considered catastrophic injuries in the truest sense of the word; they cause great damage, are extremely unfortunate and involve a sudden, large-scale alteration in state. Because so very many organs and systems are thrown out of balance so quickly, catastrophic burns have a real potential to cause lasting damage to vital organs and fundamentally alter a burn victim’s quality of life forever.Are you or a loved one a victim of a burn Injury? There is help.
Catastrophic burn injuries are mercifully rare, but one bad accident can leave victims with permanent damage and a lifetime of continuing medical care. While we can’t prevent that from happening, the Nashville personal injury attorneys at Rocky McElhaney Law Firm can be there for you every step of the way to hold the at-fault party responsible for your injuries. We have experience fighting and winning deserving recoveries for people who have suffered catastrophic burn injuries. We can help shoulder your burdens and fight the big insurance companies so you can focus on treatment and healing. To learn more about how we represent our clients, call us today at 615-208-6065 or fill out our contact form. We have offices in Nashville, Hendersonville, and Clarksville. We fight for you.