ABSTRACT
Extent of burn The size of the area of burning may be more important in the assessment of the dangers of the burn than the depth. Mapping the area of skin burned on body charts (for example the Lund and Browder chart) may be helpful, although body surface area affected by burns may be conveniently expressed as a percentage of the total body surface area using the ‘Rule of Nines’ (Figure 17.2). Factors influencing mortality risk include burn area, increasing age and the presence of inhalation airway injury; the presence of multiple risk factors substantially increases the risk of death from burns. There is considerable individual variation and the speed and extent of emergency treatment will play a significant part in the morbidity and mortality from burns. In dry burns, any clothing can offer some protection against heat, unless it ignites. Scars or burns from such injury may reflect the pattern or style of clothing warn at the time of burn (Figure 17.3).
