Case Analysis

The integumentary system is a set of organs that forms the external

covering of the body and protects it from many threats such as infection,
desiccation, abrasion, chemical assault and radiation damage. It consists of the
hair, nails, oil glands, sweat glands, and the largest organ of the body, the skin.
The skin consists of two layers called the dermis and the epidermis. Together,
these two layers form the largest organ in the body.i One factor that can greatly
affect the integumentary system are the burn injuries. It is an under-appreciated
trauma that can affect anyone, anytime and anywhere. Although burn injuries are
decreasing in high-income countries, the prevalence of burn injuries remains high
elsewhere, with 90% of burn acidents occurring in low and middle-income areas.
The WHO estimates that 11 million burn injuries of all types occur annually
worldwide, 180,000 of which are fatal. The injuries can be caused by cold, heat,
radiation, chemical or electric source. Burn injuries result in lifelong physical and
psychological scarring, causing pain and influencing mental health, quality of life,
ability to return to work and subsequent mortality.ii

There are three types of burn injuries. First degree burns are the
mildest type of burn. It only damages the epidermis, which is the first layer of skin.
The skin may get red but won’t break and usually heals within 3–5 days. Second
degree burns damages the first two layers of skin namely the epidermis and the
dermis. The injured area can swell and appear red with blisters. The damaged
skin usually grows back unless it becomes infected or the injury gets deeper.
Third degree burns goes through the epidermis and dermis and affects deeper
tissues, which may also be damaged or destroyed. The injured area can appear
charred and may be black, white, or deep red in color. This area is often numb to
light touch. Third degree burns don’t heal by themselves, so skin grafting is often
necessary..iii
 One video that I find interesting is the burn case of Mr. De Leon. The
first thing that struck me the most is the process that he had to go through. He
arrived in the UCSD burn center two days after the incident via helicopter and an
ambulance since the cargo ship was located 520 miles in the southwest of San
Diego. He suffered from two and third degree burns, covering atleast 80% of his
body that the doctors predicted a slim chance of survival. They cannot undergo
Skin grafting becasue of the limited amount of undamaged skin. They used the
sub superskin which is a cadaver skin to start the healing process which is more
cheaper and later change into his own original skin follwed by many more skin
grafting processes to fully recover the skin. He was also encased in pressure
garments to avoid scarring of the skin while healing. After 2 months of battling
infection and physical therapy, he tried to sit for the frist time in a while in an
hospital bed, indicating he is in a stable state.

The things that also struck me the most in the incident is the trauma
and the pain that the patient had to go through during the recovery period. Mr. De
Leon had to go through many operations and therapies like the multiple skin
grafting operations in order to bring back his healthy state. He remained active
and optimistic and for me that is one important factor that a patient must have
since there are still so many things he will go through even after the incident.
Nurses must give their first rate care in order for the patient to survive.I was also
amazed with the set-up of the hospital because medical staffs have a meeting
where the doctors plan what treatments will be given and nurses that does the
procedures. Other health care teams also played part in dealing with burn
patients like therapists that specializes in burn patients, nutritionists that tells
what the patient need to intake, and social workers that deals contacting the
family of a patient. Treating burn patients require tremendous effort because
some patients stay under hospital care for weeks or even months and some
require multiple graft operations.Treating burn victims is a much respected job
because in that area of medicine for me it takes patience, optimism and quick
thinking.
REFERENCES

i (Integumentary System) https://biologydictionary.net/integumentary-system/

ii (Burn injury) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-020-0145-5

iii https://msktc.org/burn/factsheets/Understanding_Burn_Injury