Management of the acute burn wound: an overview.

Goals for managing an acute burn wound are similar to those of other wounds such that infection and scar formation are minimized, a moist wound environment is provided, and the surrounding tissue is protected from trauma. A variety of cleansing techniques are used with burn wounds, including local wound care and nonsubmersion and immersion hydrotherapy. Topical agents have significantly decreased the development of burn wound sepsis since the 1960s, and now various experimental agents are being investigated to improve wound healing. The choice of dressings depends on many patient and wound-related factors, and synthetic, biologic, and biosynthetic dressings are used to treat the different depths of burn wounds. However, skin grafts and the newer cultured skin substitutes remain the mainstay for healing a full-thickness burn wound.