Burn
A burn is tissue damage caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, radiation, or friction. Its severity depends on depth, extent, location, and cause.
Burn depth: A measure of how deeply a burn damages the skin and underlying tissues. Depth distinguishes superficial injury from damage involving deeper skin layers or tissue.
Total body surface area: The proportion of a person's body surface affected by an injury or condition. Estimating burned area helps determine fluid needs and whether specialized care is needed.
Skin: The body's outer covering, made chiefly of the epidermis and dermis. Burn depth is described by which skin layers are injured.
Burn shock: Circulatory failure after major burns, driven chiefly by fluid loss and vascular leakage. Extensive burns can cause dangerous fluid shifts soon after injury.
Frostbite: Tissue injury caused by freezing temperatures, usually affecting exposed extremities. It is a temperature injury like a burn, but caused by cold rather than heat.
Thermal burn: A burn caused by contact with heat, flame, hot liquid, or hot objects. Heat is the most familiar cause, but its transfer method affects the injury.
Rule of nines: A method that estimates burn area by assigning body regions multiples of nine percent. It provides a rapid adult estimate of burn extent.
Epidermis: The outermost layer of skin, forming a protective barrier. Superficial burns affect this layer without destroying the dermis.
Inhalation injury: Damage to the airway or lungs from smoke, hot gases, or toxic combustion products. Fire exposure can threaten breathing even when visible skin burns are limited.
Abrasion: A superficial wound caused by scraping skin against a rough surface. Abrasions are mechanical wounds; friction burns may also involve heat and deeper damage.