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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffDeep or widespread burns can lead to many complications, including:
- Local infection. Burns can leave skin vulnerable to bacterial infection, particularly staphylococcus infection, and increase your risk of sepsis, a serious infection that travels through your bloodstream and affects your whole body.
- Widespread infection (sepsis). Sepsis occurs when bacteria from an infection enter your bloodstream and spread throughout your body. Sepsis is a rapidly progressing, life-threatening condition that can cause shock and organ failure.
- Low blood volume (hypovolemia). Burns can damage blood vessels and cause fluid loss. This may result in low blood volume (hypovolemia). Severe blood and fluid loss prevents the heart from pumping enough blood to the body.
- Dangerously low body temperature (hypothermia). The skin helps control the body's temperature, so when a large portion of the skin is injured, you lose body heat. This increases your risk of hypothermia — when the body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature.
- Breathing (respiratory) problems. Breathing hot air or smoke can burn airways and cause breathing difficulties. Smoke inhalation damages the lungs and can cause respiratory failure.
- Scarring. Burns can cause scars and keloids — ridged areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue.
- Bone and joint problems. Deep burns can limit movement of the bones and joints. Scar tissue can form and cause contractures, when skin, muscles or tendons shorten and tighten, permanently pulling joints out of position.
References
- Sheridan RL. Thermal injuries. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2974407. Accessed Feb. 1, 2010.
- Singer AJ, et al. Thermal burns. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookPage&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00060-8. Accessed Feb. 1, 2010.
- Morgan ED, et al. Treatment of minor thermal burns. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 1, 2010.
- Rice PL Jr. Emergency care of moderate and severe thermal burns in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 1, 2010.
- Burns. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec21/ch315/ch315a.html?qt=burns&alt=sh#. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Burns: Avoiding household burns. American College of Emergency Physicians. http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=25990. Accessed Feb. 3, 2010.
- Mass casualties: Burns. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.bt.cdc.gov/masscasualties/burns.asp. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Claypool DW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 22, 2010.
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