Integumentary & Burns

A burn patient surviving the first 48 hours doesn't mean the danger is over — the complications that kill often arrive days to weeks later, and nurses catch them first.

A burn that looks white and leathery feels no pain — and that painlessness is exactly what tells you it's the most dangerous depth. Knowing why changes your entire assessment.

A burned adult's entire back represents 18% TBSA — but that same area on a toddler is closer to 16%. Using the wrong chart on the wrong patient changes every downstream decision, starting with fluid resuscitation.

A major burn patient can lose liters of plasma into interstitial spaces within hours — yet the fluid you give in the first 8 hours matters more than the next 16. Timing is everything.

The burn itself rarely kills — the infection that colonizes the open wound does. Recognizing wound sepsis early and maintaining aseptic technique are the nurse's primary weapons.