ABSTRACT
Background............................................................................................................. 90 Clinical Phases........................................................................................................ 91 Diagnosis................................................................................................................ 91 Treatment............................................................................................................... 92 Summary................................................................................................................ 95
BACKGROUND
Mortality from major burns has decreased in the past 20 years by improved intensive care unit practices, improvement in wound management, and better control of sepsis and hemodynamic disorders. The single most important associ ated injury with burns that contributes to mortality is smoke inhalation injury. New technologies have increased the capability to diagnose clinically significant inhalation injuries. These studies have demonstrated that 20-30% of all major burns are associated with a concomitant inhalation injury, with a mortality of 25-50% when patients required ventilatory support for more than one week postinjury.1
