Burns: MedlinePlus

Burns: MedlinePlus


A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

 

Burns

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/burns.html

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A burn is damage to your body's tissues caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight or radiation. Scalds from hot liquids and steam, building fires and flammable liquids and gases are the most common causes of burns. Another kind is an inhalation injury, caused by breathing smoke.
There are three types of burns:

• First-degree burns damage only the outer layer of skin
• Second-degree burns damage the outer layer and the layer underneath
• Third-degree burns damage or destroy the deepest layer of skin and tissues underneath

Burns can cause swelling, blistering, scarring and, in serious cases, shock and even death. They also can lead to infections because they damage your skin's protective barrier. Antibiotic creams can prevent or treat infections. After a third-degree burn, you need skin or synthetic grafts to cover exposed tissue and encourage new skin to grow. First- and second-degree burns usually heal without grafts.

NIH: National Institute of General Medical Sciences

 

• Start Here

  • Burns(National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
  • Burns(Patient Education Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Burns and Traumatic Injury(National Institutes of Health)

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

• Burns
• Chemical burn or reaction
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Minor burn - first aid - slideshow
• Minor burns - aftercare
• Skin graft
• Skin graft - slideshow

Related Topics

• Fire Safety
• Fires
• Inhalation Injuries
• Injuries and Wounds
• Skin, Hair and Nails

National Institutes of Health

• The primary NIH organization for research on Burns is the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Languages

• Arabic (العربية)
• Chinese - Simplified (简体中文)
• Chinese - Traditional (繁體中文)
• French (français)
• Hindi (हिन्दी)
• Japanese (日本語)
• Korean (한국어)
• Russian (Русский)
• Somali (af Soomaali)
• Spanish (español)

Overviews

• Burns(American Society for Surgery of the Hand) - PDF
• JAMA Patient Page: Burn Injuries(American Medical Association) - PDF
• Mass Casualties: Burns(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• What to Do in a Medical Emergency: Burns(American College of Emergency Physicians)

Latest News

• Check Your Summer Burn IQ(07/05/2013, HealthDay)

Treatment

• Burns(Nemours Foundation)
• First Aid: Burns(American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Also available in Spanish
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Skin Emergencies: Bee Sting, Cuts and Scratches, Burns, Allergic Reactions(National Center for Farmworker Health) - PDF
• Also available in Spanish
• Skin graft - slideshow
• Also available in Spanish

Prevention/Screening

• Avoiding Household Burns(American College of Emergency Physicians)
• Preventing Burns in Your Home(American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Also available in Spanish
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Alternative Therapy

• Aloe Vera(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
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Specific Conditions

• Blisters: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Chemical Burns to the Eye(Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Chemical Burns: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Electrical Burns: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Risk of Burns from Eruptions of Hot Water Overheated in Microwave Ovens(Food and Drug Administration)
• Scald Burns(Burn Institute) - PDF
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Related Issues

• How to Help a Person with a Serious Burn Injury(Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors) - PDF
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Tutorials

• Burns(Patient Education Institute)
• Also available in Spanish
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Videos

• Burn and Scald Prevention(United States Fire Administration)
• Burn Prevention for Families with Children with Special Needs(Safe Kids Worldwide)
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Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Burns(National Institutes of Health)
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Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Body's response to heat - pathophysiology of burns.
• Article: Management of burns in intensive and acute care.
• Article: Hypercoagulability after burn injury.
• Article: Blast injuries & burn care.
• Burns -- see more articles
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Dictionaries/Glossaries

• Glossary of Terms(Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors) - PDF
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Directories

• Burn Center Verification(American Burn Association)
• Trauma, Burn, and Injury: Resources(National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
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Organizations

• American College of Emergency Physicians
• Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors
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Statistics

• Burn Incidence and Treatment in the U.S.(American Burn Association)
• Burns and Fire Safety(Safe Kids Worldwide) - PDF
• Fire Deaths and Injuries(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Children

• Burn Safety Awareness on Playgrounds: Thermal Burns from Playground Equipment(Consumer Product Safety Commission) - PDF
• Burns (For Parents)(Nemours Foundation)
• Also available in Spanish
• Prevent Burn Injuries: Don't Let Children Put Caps for Toy Guns in Their Pockets(Consumer Product Safety Commission) - PDF
• Protect the Ones You Love: Burns Safety(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Treating and Preventing Burns(American Academy of Pediatrics)
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Patient Handouts

• Burns
• Also available in Spanish
• Chemical burn or reaction
• Also available in Spanish
• Minor burns - aftercare
• Also available in Spanish
• Skin graft
• Also available in Spanish