Procedure

Burn Debridement

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Burn Debridement

  • See Also
  1. Burn Injury
  2. Burn Management
  3. Burn Escharotomy
  4. Wound Debridement
  • Contraindications
  1. Escharotomy required
  2. Contaminated Burn Injury
  • Technique
  1. See Burn Management
  2. Pain management of Burn Injury
  3. Informed Consent with patient
    1. Devitalized tissue removal should not be painful
  4. Clean the wound
    1. Use sterile saline or sterile water to clean the wound and eliminate debris
    2. Gentle cleaning with gauze may be done but avoid scrubbing wound
  5. Blister Debridement indications (unroofed with sterile scissors, ointment applied and bandaged)
    1. Instead of Debridement, consider aspirating large, thick-walled Blisters on palms and soles
    2. Debride roofs of large Blisters (>6 mm) with thin walls
      1. Allows dressings to be applied to wound directly
    3. Debride roofs of Blisters overlying joints
      1. Allows for normal joint movement
  6. Apply dressing
    1. Apply Topical Ointment
      1. See Burn Management for recommendations
    2. Apply nonadherent dressing (e.g. petrolatum gauze)
    3. Cover loosely with gauze dressing
      1. Avoid tight dressing that may promote injury or increase discomfort
  • References
  1. Warrington (2018) Crit Dec Emerg Med 32(11): 10-1