An accident in Tennessee involving heat or electricity may result in a burn injury. The symptoms of a minor burn typically do not extend much beyond the affected area. However, if you experience a severe burn, it can result in systemic complications involving your entire body.
According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a severe burn can put you at risk for infection in two different but related ways. First, the body becomes more susceptible because a burn weakens the immune system. Second, a burn damages the skin, which forms a protective barrier between the tissues of the body and disease-causing agents in the environment. Infections that result from this susceptibility can be deadly, especially when they affect the bloodstream or the lungs.
A severe burn may also set off the body’s inflammatory response. Two common effects of this inflammatory response include edema and shock. Edema is swelling that occurs when fluid becomes trapped in the body, while shock is a dramatic drop in blood pressure due to a loss of fluid. Shock and edema both have the potential to damage vital organs in the body, including the brain, heart, lungs and/or kidneys. The body’s inflammatory response is supposed to protect the body from foreign invaders, cancer cells and other threats. In the case of a severe burn, however, it can make the injury even worse.
Acute treatment for a severe burn may involve replacing fluids to prevent shock and covering the skin with dressings, sterile bandages and topical antibiotics to prevent infection.
