ABSTRACT
Patients suffering from burn and inhalation injuries pose some of the greatest challenges encountered in medicine. All aspects of critical care management are involved, including resuscitation, wound care, hypermetabolism and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, and the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The loss of critical barrier functions as well as the resultant alterations in physiology, metabolism, and immunology create unique dynamics less frequently encountered following other types of injury. The requirement for multiple surgical and anesthetic procedures introduces a host of additional management considerations.
