Burn injury treatment and prevention have come a long way in the past fifty years. To learn more about burn awareness, we spoke with Dr. Michael Neumeister, SIU plastic surgeon and medical director of Memorial Medical Center’s Regional Burn Center.
Q. Tell us about the Regional Burn Center at Memorial Medical Center and its partnership with SIU School of Medicine.
A. We’re one of only a handful of burn centers in all of Illinois, the others are all located in northern Illinois. Hospitals from all over the region send their most severe burn patients to us for treatment. With assistance from SIU School of Medicine, we serve a wide region across central and southern Illinois and treat more than 200 acutely injured patients each year. We use a multi-disciplinary team approach to treating burn patients, including physicians, plastic surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians and psychologists.
Q. Burn treatments and survival rates have improved dramatically. In the 1970s, about 9,000 people in the U.S. died from burns each year; today, it’s fewer than 4,000. What’s changed in the past fifty years to account for that difference?
A. In the 1970s, people whose burns covered more than 20% of their bodies almost always died. Today, we’re able to save people with burns covering 90% of their bodies.
Specialized burn centers, like ours, have the technology and people with highly specialized training necessary to treat acute burns. Through years of research, we’ve also established some best approaches for fluid resuscitation, wound cleaning, skin replacement, infection control and nutritional support.
Burn prevention messages, fire drills and escape plans have also had a great impact in preventing burns from occurring.
Q. What does a burn survivor’s healing process involve? How long do patients typically stay in the hospital?
A. Patients’ length of recovery depends on several factors – how much of their body was burned, how they were burned, where they were burned and how deep the burns reach. In some cases, patients can be in the hospital for a several months. In the case of electrical burns, for example, they may not look that bad, but they’re actually some of the worst burns because the muscle is affected.
Q. When we think of burn survivors, we often think of the physical scars left behind, but what’s recovery like for survivors from an emotional standpoint?
A. Burn survivors not only have months of recovery and rehabilitation, they also have to deal with numerous other sources of anxiety, including reliving the event itself, dealing with the appearance of their injury and the public’s reaction, losing their independence and feeling limited in their physical ability. Because patients are in the hospital for sometimes months, they can lose their jobs, get behind on payments and feel isolated from their family and friends.
One of the great resources our burn center has is a monthly burn survivor support group for both survivors and their family.
Q. What can you tell us about the types of patients and the types of burns you see at the Regional Burn Center?
A. Most of the burns we see are thermal, or caused by fire. Roughly 85% of all burns occur at home, so that’s where we want to focus our prevention efforts. Risky populations include children and the elderly. Common high risks for children are hot water, house fires, hot grease, hot liquids and matches. For older adults, hot water, flammable liquids, smoking in bed, house fires and efforts to stay warm most often lead to burns.
Q. With the cold temperatures hitting Illinois, people are turning to space heaters. What do families need to know to prevent house fires?
A. If they choose to use a space heater, don’t lay blankets, towels, clothes or anything on top of it. Keep at least a three-foot radius around the space heater clear of anything that can burn. Also, remember to turn off space heaters when you leave the room or go to bed.
Q. What are some other ways families can prevent burns?
- When cooking, keep pot handles turned away from the edges of the stove so children can’t easily grab pots
- Contain grease fires with baking soda or flour, not water
- Keep matches and lighters out of kids’ reach
- Keep tap water at or below 125 degrees and test bathwater before putting a child in the bathtub
- Never place anything on top of an electric heater or heater vent
- Test smoke detectors often and change batteries every six months (when clocks change). Replace smoke detectors every 8-10 years.
- Store gasoline and other flammable liquids out of children’s reach
- Teach children to stop, drop and roll
- Create and practice fire escape plans with at least two ways out of every room in case of a fire. Challenge kids to see how fast they can get out of the house using a stopwatch