Burn is defined as tissue damage caused by a variety of agents, such as heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or nuclear radiation. Most common are burns caused by scalds, building fires, and flammable liquids and gases.
Burns often lead to infection, due to damage to the skin's protective barrier. In many cases, topical antibiotics (creams or ointments applied to the skin) can prevent or treat such infection. The three topical antibiotics that are most widely used are silver sulfadiazene cream, mafenide acetate cream, and silver nitrate.
Each year in the United States, 1.25 million burn injuries require medical attention.
Up to 10,000 people in the United States die every year of burn-related infections; pneumonia is the most common infectious complication among hospitalized burn patients.
Complications following injury, shock, or burns may occur long after the initial incident, often when the patient is in an intensive care unit (ICU). Many ICU patients face similar medical problems regardless of the reason for their admission into the unit.
The leading causes of death in ICUs are multiple organ system dysfunction, in which several of the body's organs fail at once, and adult respiratory distress syndrome, in which the lungs in particular fail. In both conditions, the organs of the body are ravaged by the patient's own immune system, leading to severe, debilitating, and uncontrolled inflammation.
The cost of maintaining critically ill patients in ICUs is estimated to be roughly 1 percent of the U.S. gross national product.
Improving methods of wound healing and tissue repair offers tremendous opportunities to enhance the quality of life for trauma and burn patients, and may also help to reduce health care costs.
Scientists are investigating ways to treat wounds caused by trauma, burns, or surgical interventions with biological agents (e.g. growth factors) or new drugs.
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sponsors research--mostly basic but some clinical--in the areas of burn, shock, and trauma. Other NIH components support or conduct research in aspects of trauma, burn, and injury related to their missions, as well.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences,
NIH45 Center Drive MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Phone: (301) 496-7301
http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Publications/FactSheets.htm
(scroll down to Trauma and Burn Injury)
Howard Nations is nationally board certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocates, and is certified as a Diplomate of Trial Advocacy by the National College of Advocacy. He is also board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization as both a personal injury trial specialist and a civil trial specialist.
Mr. Nations received his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1966 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida State University. His success as an attorney has been acknowledged with listings in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in Finance and Industry.
Mr. Nations has gained invaluable knowledge and experience handling burn injury cases over the past 34 years. In fact, over the past several years, his firm has specialized in burn cases with an accompanying closed head injury component. In the past three years alone, he has successfully prosecuted several multi-million dollar cases. Years of case preparation, mediation and litigation experience make Mr. Nations and his staff very knowledgeable of and sensitive to the particular concerns of burn victims and their families.
In addition to successfully prosecuting and mediating numerous burn cases over the past 34 years, Mr. Nations has taught law students and lectured to trial lawyers across the country regarding proof of damages in burn cases. This unique field requires special knowledge of the various types of physical pain, mental anguish, physical disability and physical disfigurement experienced by burn victims in order to offer comprehensive courtroom proof of burn damages.
The lawyers and staff at The Law Offices of Howard L. Nations work closely with life care planners in order to assure admissible evidence of the future requirements of daily care and extensive therapeutic and rehabilitative needs which inevitably onfront burn victims. Economists help determine the amount of compensation for damage to wage earning capacity and structured settlement specialists within the firm aid in maximizing use of settlement funds.
Robert S. Toth, M.D., J.D., LL.M., whose experience in the practice of both medicine and trial law makes an him invaluable medical-legal resource for the firm's clients, prosecutes burn cases with Howard Nations.
The attorneys and staff at The Law Offices of Howard L. Nations bring extensive medical and legal knowledge and decades of trial and mediation experience to the successful handling of the best interests of burn victims and their families. If you haveeither a legal or a medical-legal question with which we may assist you, call us toll free at 1-800-269-3050 or e-mail us at nations@howardnations.com.