What Are The Classifications Of Burns And Scalds?
Burns and scalds are among the most frequently occurring accidents and they are among the more tragic, because so many of them are preventable. Modern surgery only refers to two kinds of burns and scalds: superficial burns, and full thickness or deep burns. As a rule superficial burns may be expected to heal with little scarring, while full thickness or deep burns are slow to heal and may cause scarring, crippling contractions and loss of function, and usually require skin grafting and prolonged and repeated treatment in hospital. The extent of burns is as important as the depth. For purposes of classification the ‘Waller Method’ is frequently used. The body surface is divided into sections of 9% of the total and thus, with reference to a chart, it is easy to estimate the extent of the burn as being a multiple of 9%. The seriousness of the burn or scald is often far more dependent on the extent of the area affected, than on the thickness. A child may die with an 18% superficial burn bu
