Management of local burn wounds in the ED.

Each year there are over 500,000 burns that present to the emergency department (ED). Most burns are minor, and their care focuses on local wound management. The current article will present a typical case and then review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of minor burns in the ED.

The effect of a commercially available burn-cooling blanket on core body temperatures in volunteers.

Background: Cooling of burns is one of the oldest therapies, yet there are concerns that excessive cooling may result in hypothermia.

Objectives: To determine the effects of surface cooling with a commercially available cooling blanket on the core temperatures of volunteers and to test the ability of the cooling blanket to reduce water evaporation from plastic containers. The null hypothesis was that rectal temperatures would not be reduced by surface cooling and that the cooling blanket would reduce evaporative water loss.