Burn Glossary

Acticoat:  A silver impregnated dressing (which works like an antibiotic cream) that is placed on the wound. It may leave a brown color to the wound and surrounding skin but this goes away with bathing.

Biobrane:  A synthetic biological membrane which is placed over donor sites and excised areas. Used as a temporary covering.

Bronchoscopy:  Evaluation of the airways by placing a lighted camera down in the trachea.

Budding:  Small buds that grow from remaining skin tissue. They develop as the wound heals. They may be seen by the hair follicles. These areas of tissue may be especially sensitive since the nerve endings are exposed.

Burn Depth: (See diagram on page 13)

• First degree:  Mild sunburn is an example of a first-degree burn. There is redness and localized pain. These burns involve the top layer of skin called the epidermis. This usually goes away in 24 hours.
  Superficial partial thickness (second degree) burn: Appears red, moist, blistered and is painful. These burns involve the epidermis and the layer below it called the dermis. They are painful because some nerve endings are exposed. They usually heal within 2-3 weeks.
• Deep partial thickness burns:  Appear as areas of pale pink or white sometimes with a mottled look from small blood vessels rupturing in that area. They can be painful depending on whether the nerve endings are intact and exposed. If the burn is deeper, the nerve endings may be destroyed making it a less painful burn. The length of time to heal varies and these burns many times require grafting.
• Full thickness burns (third degree):  Burns involving all layers of skin down to the fat. They may be white, red, brown or black in color. They are dry, leathery and relatively painless due to the damage to the sensory nerves in the skin. These burns usually require grafting.
  

Cellulitis:  An infection of the skin that occurs around the burned area. This usually develops a few days after the burn. Treatment can require antibiotics by mouth or intravenously.

Contracture:  A tightening or pulling of skin in
a band-like fashion that decreases motion.

Compression garments:  Special elastic
garments worn over grafted areas to apply pressure in order to control scarring.

Donor site:  Area of non-burned skin, which is taken and placed where the burned skin was (after removal of the burned skin).

Eschar: Burned dead skin.

Escharotomy:  The process of cutting through the burned, dead skin to allow normal circulation to resume. Mostly done in burns that completely encircle an arm, leg or the chest.

Excision:  Surgical removal of the burned skin.
Invasive burn wound infection: An infection of the burn wound that has gone into normal tissue. This usually requires excision in the operating room. These patients can develop systemic signs of infection such as fever and low blood pressure and require intravenous antibiotics to assist in treatment.

Silvadene cream:  An antibiotic ointment used on the burn wound to help fight infection. People with an allergy to sulfa drugs should not use this
product. 

Sulfamylon cream:  Another type of antibiotic cream used on the burned skin. This cream is sometimes painful when applied.

Swan Ganz Catheter:  A catheter placed through a large vein that floats into the lung and to the
heart to give better information on the patient's internal fluid volume status and cardiac status.

Transcyte:  A synthetic biologic dressing that can be placed on the wound that has growth factors in it to help with wound healing.

Xeroform:  Petroleum-impregnated gauze, which
is used to cover donor sites, and fresh grafts.