Burns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Burns - Essay Example The tissues involved are his skin and that of the oro- respiratory tract. Most of the burns are 2 and 3 rd degree burns. This patient has 45% burns along with inhalation injury. Damage to the tissues of the body as a result of heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight or radiation is known as burns. Burns can cause swelling, blistering, scarring, shock and even death (Burns, Medline Plus). The most common type of burns is thermal burns. Burns are a common cause of mortality and morbidity. Injuries due to inhalation and subsequent pulmonary complications contribute to the mortality. It has been estimated that 50-60% of fire deaths are secondary to inhalation injury (Nettina 2006). The response to burns is the one similar to inflammation. Burns causes the intact vessels to dilate causing redness and blanching with pressure. The vascular permeability of the vessels also increases. Cells like platelets and leukocytes adhere to the vascular endothelium in the early phases of burns, followed by influx of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes. There after, new capillaries, immature fibroblasts and new collagen fibrils appear within the wound as a part of regeneration activity (Nettina 2006). 1. Skin being the largest organ in the body is the most commonly and widely affected part in the body. Burns causes loss of functions of the skin. The main functions of the skin are thermal regulation, prevention of loss of fluid from the body by evaporation, barrier against infections from the environment, and perception of sensory information from the environment. Skin comprises of 3 layers, the dermis, epidermis and hypodermis. Epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin and consists of cornified epithelial cells. The middle layer is the dermis which is made up of mainly connective tissue. Embedded in the connective tissue are the capillaries that nourish the skin, nerve endings, and hair follicles. The innermost