I am going to conclude by saying that:

  • the accumulated expertise required for the treatment of burns creates the ideal care experience for patients with other complex skin and soft tissue disorders
  • the ability to provide aggressive resuscitation and nutritional support limits injury and accelerates healing
  • the familiarity with large complex wounds provides the physician with an armamentarium of products, procedures and devices to accomplish wound closure
  • ICU care, including hemodynamic and respiratory support as well as IV access and invasive monitoring, are already a part of the daily activities in many hospitals and they need to be adapted to these complex problems
  • the modern pediatric surgeon then serves as an invaluable resource to the general hospital and the community to assist in the care of these diverse and critically ill children

We have covered a gamut of things today that I have had experience treating and most of this has evolved from the understanding I have gained from taking care of burn patients. It's likely that all of these are going to be seen first at a hospital with a significant pediatric base and only subsequently be referred to a tertiary burn center or hospital.