Guide to Frequently Used Terms

Burn Depth Classifications

Superficial Burn: Burns involving only the epidermis. Sometimes called a first degree (1°) burn. These burns are red or pink, dry and somewhat painful, and the skin is left intact. Sunburns are superficial burns. These burns generally heal in three to seven days.

Partial Thickness Burn: Burns involving the outer portion of the dermis, as well as the epidermis. Sometimes called a second degree (2°) burn. These burns are red with blisters that may break and ooze a large amount of pale yellow fluid. Partial thickness burns are very painful and edematous (swollen). These burns generally heal in ten to fourteen days.

Deep Partial Thickness Burn: Some partial thickness burns extend into the deep dermal layer. These burns appear pink to white or tan. They are dry and less painful due to damage of the nerve ending. These burns may heal in 17-21 days.
Full Thickness Burn: Burns involving the entire dermis and epidermis and extending into the fat cells are called full thickness or third degree (3°) burns. Full thickness burns appear white to tan or charred and they are dry. There is very little if any sensation due to nerve ending damage. These burns require skin grafting in order to heal.

Common Words Used in the Burn Center

Ace Wraps – elastic gauze used for temporary compression to various parts of the body to decrease swelling and skin breakdown.

Allograft (Homograft) – a temporary skin graft taken from another person.
Arm trough – devices used to help properly position patients burned arms. Helps to decrease swelling and maintain function.

Arterial line (art line) – a catheter placed in an artery that measures the patient’s blood pressure continuously.

Autograft – a skin graft taken from an unburned area of the patients body and placed onto a burned area after the burned skin has been debrided.

Burn Rounds – a weekly staff meeting with the entire interdisciplinary burn team including, but not limited to: doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, pain resource nurses and chaplains.

Cardiac monitor – monitors that shows the patient’s continuous heart rate and rhythm.

CEA – Cultured Epithelial Autograft which is when a skin biopsy is taken from the patient and sent to a laboratory where the surface epithelium is cultured (cloned) for use as grafts for that same patient.

Central line – an IV catheter placed in a large vein. Usually in the neck, chest or groin.

Charge nurse – nurse in charge of the unit when they are on duty. Contact the charge nurse if you have any questions concerning your family member.

Circumferential burn – a burn that goes all of the way around the patient’s arm, leg, neck fingers or chest.

Compression garment – a tight fitting, custom made garment used to put constant pressure on healed wounds to keep down scarring.

Compressor grip (C-grip) – a tight, stretchy, tubular material used for temporary compression. Initiated by physical or occupational therapist. Used until custom garment is available.

Contracture – inability to completely straighten body part i.e. arms, legs, fingers or neck due to severe scarring of tissue between two joints during the healing process.

Culture – a laboratory test that detects the cause of infection on burn wounds, in blood, in urine, or sputum.

Debridement – process of removing dead burn tissue (eschar). Can be done either surgically, during hydrotherapy, or at the bedside.

Donor site – the area on the patient’s body that unburned skin (skin graft) is removed form to cover burned and surgically debrided area.

Edema – swelling caused by an accumulation of an excessive amount of fluid in tissue. Very common in burns.

Endotracheal tube (ET tube) - a tube inserted through the mouth that supplies air into the lungs. Used to assist breathing. The ET tube is connected to a ventilator.

Eschar – burned skin that is dead and must be removed before healing can occur.

Escharotomy – in incision through full thickness circumferential burn tissue to restore and or maintain circulation of an arm or leg. Sometimes an escharotomy is done on the chest so the patient can expand their lungs.

Fasciotomy – a surgical procedure performed on deep circumferential burns (generally an electrical burn) to prevent compromise of extremity circulation. A fasciotomy is deeper than an escharotomy.

Feeding tube – a small flexible plastic tube that is usually placed in the patient’s nose going down to the stomach or small intestine to provide and/or increase nutritional intake.

Foley catheter – a tube inserted into the bladder so urine output can be measured.

Graft – unburned skin placed on a debrided burn wound. Categorized as allograft, autograft, homograft, or xenograft.

Heplock – see saline lock.

Home Training – a person taking care of the patient after discharge (primary caregiver) will come to the Burn Center and learn how to clean the wounds and apply dressings. If the patient will be going home with a Home Health Nurse, the complete Home Training procedure may be omitted; however it is always helpful to be familiar with the patient’s burn wound.

Homograft – see allograft

Hydrotherapy (tanking) – bathing of patients on the shower cart where mechanical debridement, wound cleansing and exercises are done.

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – the 4-bed area in the Burn Center where patients who require more intensive/specialized care and monitoring due to the increased seriousness of their injury are placed.

Intubation – the procedure in which a endotracheal tube is placed through the patient’s nose or mouth into the lungs to assist breathing.

IV (intravenous) – a small tube placed directly into a vein used to give fluids, medicine or blood.

NG (nasogastic) – a tube inserted through the mouth or nose into the stomach, used for feeding or to drain the stomach contents to prevent vomiting.

NPO – Latin abbreviation meaning “nothing by mouth.” This means that the patient is not able to eat or drink anything. The patients are NPO before they go to surgery.

O2 saturation – oxygen content in the blood. Measured by a plastic probe that is placed on patient’s fingers, toes or earlobes.

OR – operating room

OT – occupational therapist

PO – Latin abbreviation meaning “by mouth”.

PT – physical therapist

Pulse ox – pulse oximeter, is also an oxygen saturation monitor.

Report – the time when nurses beginning a shift a “passed on” information about all patients from the nurse ending the shift.

RT – respiratory therapist

Saline lock (heplock) – a small rubber cap placed on an IV so that access to the vein is maintained without giving fluids.

Shower cart – a cart that the patient is placed on that has a drain hook-up and shower nozzles above it to perform wound cleansing/hydrotherapy.

Skin buds – occurs with the healing process when new skin cells grow. They look like small pink “goose bumps” in the burn wound.

Splints – hard plastic device used to prevent movement of a joint. Initiated by an occupational therapist or physical therapist. Used to prevent contractures and maintain function.

Spokesperson – one person (decided upon between the patient and family) who is able to call the Burn Center and obtain information about the patient. All other inquiries about the patient will generally be referred to the spokesperson. This policy is in place to protect patient confidentiality and allow the nurse more time at the bedside with the patient.

Surginet – a stretchy net that holds bandages in place.

Suctioning – a small tube inserted into the patient’s lungs through the ET tube or nose to remove secretion.

Swan Ganz Catheter (Swan) – a large catheter placed in either the neck or chest that measures pressures in the patient’s heart and pulmonary artery.

Tank Room – room where hydrotherapy is performed.

Tanking – see hydrotherapy.

Tracheostomy (trach) – a surgical opening in the windpipe below the larynx (voice box) to supply air to the lungs.

Ventilator – a machine used to give the patient breaths through their ET or trach tube.

Vital Signs – the assessment and measurement of the patient’s temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and respirations.

Xenograft (Porcine) – pigskin may be used as a temporary sterile biological dressing placed on the debrided wound.