Burn injuries are considered a problem in health care. Burn injuries are in the top five as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. There are over 200 special burn care units in the United States. Statistics on burn injuries confirm that at least 50% of all burn accidents could have been avoided. There is one out of every 13 fire deaths in the United States that was caused by a child setting a fire. One-third of children preschool age has died by playing with fire.
There are 2.4 million burn injuries that are reported per year in the United States. There are around 10,000 pediatric burn injuries yearly in the United States. Around 650,000 of the injuries are treated by medical professionals and about 75,000 are hospitalized. Out of the people that are hospitalized, there are 20,000 who have major burns. There are 8,000 to 12,000 who die from these burns.
Burn classification
Burns are categorized into first, second, and third degrees. The first degree burns which are superficial burns are caused on the top layer of skin. Symptoms of the first degree burn are redness in the skin. The burn can be painful and dry. It takes about around a week for the first degree burn to heal on its own. The next burn is the second degree burns which are partial-thickness burns. This type of burn goes under a few layers of skin. The symptoms of this burn are redness, and blisters that appear. It usually takes three to four weeks for it to heal and may leave a scar. The last type of burn is third degree burns which are full-thickness burns. These burns tear down all layers of skin. It can go through the underlying fat, muscle, bone and nerve structures. The symptoms of the burns are brown or black with the essential tissues showing white. Third degree burns are considered as being a serious condition.
One type of burn injury is from radiation. Ultraviolet light and nuclear radiation are causes of radiation burns. When absorbing too much Ultraviolet light, it can result into a burn injury. UV burns can come from tanning beds, too much exposure to X-rays, radiation therapy and too much sunlight. Treatment can include pain control medication to surgery.
