Surgery for Burn Injuries
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. Statistics show that more than 1200 people in the United States suffer a burn injury every day. Like all other injuries, burns can range in their severity. While a first-degree burn is painful, most people can dull the pain by running the area under cool water. However, second and third-degree burns can be quite severe. Second degree burns often produce blisters which are incredibly painful. Remarkably, third-degree burns may not be painful at all because the damage is so deep the nerves have been killed. However, these often have areas of second-degree burns around them which produce incredible pain. Some statistics from the American Burn Association regarding burn injuries revealed that:
- Close to 500,000 people seek medical treatment for burn injuries every year.
- About 40,000 of these individuals will be admitted to the hospital for further treatment. Many of these are at a specialized burn center.
- Fire and smoke inhalation are responsible for over 3,000 deaths annually.
- Males are burned more commonly than females.
- The most common causes are fire contact injuries and scald injuries, such as those from hot water.
- The vast majority of burn injuries occur in the home.
Surgery for Burn Injuries
Some people will require surgery for their severe burns. Indications for operation include:
- Dead or infected tissue that needs to be removed.
- Aesthetic reconstruction of the burn site.
- Swelling at the site compressing vital arteries or nerves.
- Skin grafts for reconstruction of the burn location.
As with any surgical procedure, there are specific risks, including the loss of blood. Close monitoring is provided to ensure that blood loss is not excessive. There is also the chance that scars could form at the surgical site. While many of these fade over time, the burn location could create concern for appearance. Lastly, there is always the chance that damage to nerves could generate a feeling of numbness at the burn site.
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I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. A burn injury can leave someone with emotional and physical scars. If you or a loved one has sustained a severe burn injury in an accident, please call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. I welcome the opportunity to share friendly, free advice.
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