For victims of serious burns, the pain of the initial injury is unfortunately often just the beginning of the impact they will feel. It can be a long and painful road to recovery and many third-degree burn victims face additional complications from their burns which could set back any progress they and their doctors have made. To help ease the financial burden you may be facing as a burn victim, it is important that you have a law firm working with you who are experienced in burn cases and can allow you to focus on your recovery.
Recovering From Serious Burns
First-degree and second-degree burns often have similar treatments. While you still have to carefully treat these burns to avoid infection, discoloration, and scarring, you will typically recover in less than a month. For third-degree burns, the prognosis can often involve much more serious treatment and they can even be life-threatening.
Third-degree burns impact all the layers of your skin and even reach the tissue beneath it. They often require hospitalization for treatment, which can include skin grafts. A skin graft replaces the burned, damaged skin and tissue with skin from an unaffected portion of your body. This procedure requires intravenous fluids to keep you hydrated, keep your blood pressure steady, and prevent shock.
Possible Complications When Treating a Serious Burn
In addition to scarring and contractures at the burn site, there can be other serious complications from third-degree burns including:
- Dehydration
- Arrhythmia, or heart rhythm disturbances. These are often caused by an electrical burn.
- Organ failure
- Hypotension, or seriously low blood pressure. This can lead to shock in some victims.
- Excess fluid and swelling in tissues that have been affected by the burn, known as edema.
- Pneumonia
- Severe infection at the burn site. Victims may suffer from sepsis or may have to undergo an amputation.
All of these complications can keep a burn victim in the hospital for an extended period of time. During your recovery, you may need physical and occupational therapy which will help maintain joint mobility and improve joint function. Due to the traumatic nature of the event and its impact, some burn victims suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
Contact a Harris County Burn Victim Lawyer
If you have suffered a burn as a result of an accident at work, in a vehicle accident, or in any other setting, contact a Houston personal injury attorney at Law Office of Shane R. Kadlec. We have extensive experience in burn victim cases and will help you build your case and receive maximum compensation for your pain and suffering. If there was negligence involved, we will also pursue punitive damages. Call us today for your free consultation at 281-643-2000.
Source:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12063-burns
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