health

The diagnosis of burns and scalds is usually obvious from the patient’s
situation and the appearance of the injury. Patients taken to the emergency
room will usually be given a chest x ray to check for evidence of
smoke inhalation or other injury to the airway.
Most of the evaluation in the hospital consists of determining the
extent of the patient’s injuries. The rule of nines is used to estimate the
area of body surface covered by second- or third-degree burns. Another
quick measurement that can be used to estimate the size of the burn is
the area covered by an adult’s palm, which is about 1 percent of total
body area.

Emergency room doctors use these rules to tell whether a
patient should be sent to a specialized burn center:

• Third-degree burns covering more than 5 percent of body surface
  area (BSA)
• Second-degree burns covering more than 10 percent of BSA
• Any second- or third-degree burn on the face, genitals, hands, feet,
  or skin covering a major joint
• Burns caused by electrical currents, lightning, or chemicals
• Burns occurring together with other major injuries (head trauma,
  broken bones, etc.)
• Burns in patients with inhalation injuries