A burn wound is a wound caused by skin being exposed to heat for a certain time above a certain critical temperature. Heat above this critical temperature (+/- 40°C) will cause damage to the skin. There are different types of burn wounds, which are categorized according to the depth of the burn wound. The depth of the burn wound depends on:

• the temperature of the impacting heat;
• the duration of the impact of heat on the skin;
• the source of the burn (e.g. fire, fluid).

Purpose

The description of the burn wound is of importance for starting or continuing the best possible wound treatment and to be able to properly monitor the wound healing process.

Evidence Base

Different degrees are used to evaluate the depth of the burn wound:

First-degree burn (no wound):

• redness

• good capillary refill

• supple

• painful Superficial second-degree burn wound (partial thickness of the skin):

• intact / broken blisters

• pink, shiny, uniform

• good capillary refill

• supple

• painful Deep second-degree burn wound:

• intact / broken blisters

• pink, matte, not homogenous, damp

• slow capillary refill

• slightly more firm

• painful Third-degree burn wound

• intact / broken blisters, epidermis stuck to burned dermis

• white, brown, yellow, red (when kept in hot water for a prolonged period of time)

• no capillary refill, non-removable redness

• firm

• less painful than the size of the wound makes it appear (Source: Brandwondenprotocol 2010, Rode Kruis Brandwondencentrum Beverwijk [2010 Burn wound protocol, Beverwijk Red Cross Burn Wound Center])

Instructions

Issues Damages to the skin as a result of exposure to intense heat and cold can lead to similar wounds. Nevertheless, we have decided not to expand the information model to become a generic thermal wound information model. The reason for this was the lack of a guideline for treating freeze wounds and insufficient agreement in the field on the applicability of the burn wound classification for freeze wounds. Freeze wounds also rarely occur in the Netherlands, due to the climate.