The care of severe burn victims over 100,000 people are hospitalized
each year has improved dramatically over the past fifty years. But a
serious burn remains a painful, frightening, and traumatic experience.
The psychological stress of injury may be increased by the formidable
array of medical equipment used in early stages of care and by the
number of doctors, nurses, and specialists that burn patients and their
families encounter. Once out of intensive care, the burn survivor often
faces a long and difficult recovery.
This book is meant to relieve some of the confusion and anxiety that
comes with any serious burn injury. Written by the staff of the
Baltimore Regional Burn Center, it includes comprehensive medical
information from leading experts and first-person accounts of the
experiences of burn survivors. The book describes the different types of
burns, the various stages of treatment and recovery, the roles of all
the people on the "burn team," the physical and emotional challenges of
rehabilitation, and the resources available to patients and families. It
also explains how to prevent injuries in the future and how to
administer first aid to someone who has been burned.
Organized to be useful to family members and friends immediately after
the injury, and to burn survivors themselves during recovery and
rehabilitation, the book is comprehensive in its coverage of topics of
concern to everyone affected by a burn injury:
Types of burns and inhalation injuries
Survival, complications, and the future
The "Burn Team" and what they do
Tubes, monitors, and machines
Types of dressings
Pain management
Physical rehabilitation
Emotional and social recovery
Special care for children
Returning to school or work
Support groups, counseling, camps
Plastic surgery, scarring, and corrective cosmetics
Prevention and safety
Organizations and resources
"Being a burn survivor means so much more than simply being alive. Being
a burn survivor also means being a take-charge-of-your-life person whose
strength of spirit is inspirational to others. Burn survivors have to
learn to accept that life as they knew it before the injury is lost.
With this acceptance comes profound grief, of course, but many burn
survivors grow to a level of personal awareness and acceptance of self
that most people never experience." from the Preface
"For all those whose lives have been touched by burn injuries, this book
explains medical procedures and the recovery process in a clear and
comprehensive way. It will help burn survivors understand their
injuries, their treatment, and their important role in returning to
productive life. John A. Boswick, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., St. Joseph's
Hospital, Denver
