Burn Care
By Dr. Weber
How Do Plastic Surgeons Help Burn Victims?
No one ever expects to wind up in the burn unit of a hospital. When it happens, it takes a team of specialized medical professionals to provide proper care for the victim. One key member of that team is a plastic surgeon, and they play a crucial role in the patient’s road to recovery.
If your loved one has experienced burn trauma and is receiving treatment at Essentia Health-Duluth, you might be wondering how our plastic surgeons will help. Discover our role and how we work with your loved one’s care team in this article and video from Dr. Weber.
Why Burns Require Special Care
Burn treatment is considered a special care area among plastic surgeons, as it is one of the most severe forms of trauma we see. While minor burns can be treated in an outpatient setting and don’t require hospitalization, major burns often require a trip to the burn unit, several weeks in the hospital, and extensive rehabilitation. A burn unit is a designated area in a hospital that is dedicated to caring for burn victims and contains the dressings, supplies, and specialized equipment needed to treat them.
What makes burn injuries unique is that they affect nearly every part of the body, from organs and the immune system to the skin (what we specialize in as plastic surgeons) and mental health. When you consider the different types of burns that can occur, including chemical burns and frostbite, things become complex quite quickly. Each type of burn affects the body differently and requires a different approach to treatment.
Who Provides Treatment to Burn Victims?
Among your loved ones’ care team are specialized nurses, trauma surgeons, and plastic surgeons who are specially trained to treat burn injuries and the complex challenges they present. While there’s a tendency to think that all treatment takes place with one surgery and one surgeon, this is not often the case for burn injuries. Here’s what you should know about two of the most essential roles on your loved one’s care team:
- Trauma surgeon– This is often the first surgeon a victim sees in the burn unit, especially after experiencing a severe burn. The trauma surgeon takes care of the patient’s acute injury, fluid resuscitation needs, ventilation, and critical care management. Their goal is to stabilize your loved one after the accident so they can continue to receive the care they need.
- Plastic surgeon– Skin and soft tissue trauma requires specialized treatment by a plastic surgeon. We’re trained to take care of the burn injury itself which often includes skin grafting (transplanting healthy skin from one part of the body to another). We also work with patients after they leave the emergency room to help them recover and rehabilitate from burn injuries.
Every board-certified plastic surgeon is trained and credentialed to take care of burns. Whether they decide to continue to use that skillset when they go into practice varies surgeon by surgeon. At Northland Plastic Surgery, our surgeons provide 24-hour, on-call response to burn injuries with all area hospitals. Our extensive experience providing burn care sets us apart, and we’re honored to serve our community in this way.