Consensus for treatment of 'the sickest patients you'll ever see'

Consensus for treatment of 'the sickest patients you'll ever see ' An estimated 2 million Americans suffer serious burns each year, says the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Of these, about 130,000 are hospitalized and 70,000 require intensive care at a cost exceeding $300 million per year. About 10,000 such persons die after the injury. Children under the age of 15 years account for a third of those who die; most of them are preschoolers. In addition, burns frequently are fatal for persons 65 years of age and older. Burn victims are "the sickest patients you'll ever see," according to many physicians. Initial stabilization of the patients can be a challenge. Then, once out of the initial critical stage, severely burned patients typically fluctuate from serious to critical condition another two or three times as respiratory, cardiovascular, and infectious complications develop. Nearly everyone offering burn care agrees that controlling and avoiding