Published 8 April 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b1037
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b1037

Clinical Review

Emergency and early management of burns and scalds

Stuart Enoch, specialty registrar in burns and plastic surgery1, Amit Roshan, specialty registrar in burns and plastic surgery2, Mamta Shah, consultant burns and plastic surgeon3

1 University Hospitals of Manchester, Manchester M23 9LT , 2 Cambridge University Hospitals, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 8QE, 3 Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s Hospitals NHS Trust, Manchester

Correspondence to: M Shah, Regional Paediatric Burns Unit, Booth Hall Children’s Hospital, Manchester M9 7AA mamta.shah@cmmc.nhs.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.


Most minor burns can be managed in primary care
Appropriate first aid limits progression of burn depth and influences outcome
Assessment of area and depth is crucial to formulating a management plan
Burn depth may progress with time, so re-evaluation is essential
All major burns require fluid resuscitation, which should be guided by monitoring of the physiological parameters
A multidisciplinary approach is crucial for a successful clinical outcome


Burn injuries are an important global health problem. Most simple burns can be managed by general practitioners in primary care, but complex burns and all major burns warrant a specialist and skilled multidisciplinary approach for a successful clinical outcome. This article discusses the principles behind managing major burns and scalds using an evidence based approach and provides a framework for managing simple burns in the community.


We searched Medline, Ovid, Burns, and the Cochrane Library until June 2008 for randomised controlled trials, . . . [Full text of this article]



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