Burn Injury Resource Center
Not all burn patients need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment as some of these burn patients can be treated as outpatients including first degree burns and some second degree burns. Small partial thickness burns can be treated in an outpatient setting. Adults with les than 15% body surface area partial thickness burns and children with less than 10% body surface area partial thickness burns can usually be treated safely as outpatients. These patinets after being treated they should have a supportive home enviroment. Abuse or neglect has to be excluded specially with children, smoke inhalation should also be excluded as it is one of the major causes of dealth in burned patients.
What type of burns are eligible to be treated in an outpatient setting:
- Adults with less than 15% body surface area partial thickness burns and children with less than 10% body surface area partial thickness burns.
- No or minimal underlying medical conditions.
- No smoke inhalation with adequate airway.
- No added injury or trauma.
- No evidence of neglect or abuse
- No circumferential burns (burns that go all the way around a body part) see also Escharotomy
- Ability to drink enough amount of fluids (to avoid hypovolemic shock)
- No or minimal involvement of the face, hands, joints and the genitalia as involvement of these areas my lead to scars and contractures
- No chemical burn injury as patients with chemical burns need to be admitted to the hospital
- The presence of supportive home enviroment in which the patient and his/her family can follow the plan of care. See also Burn wound care at home
This information is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice; it should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Call 911 for all medical emergencies.