Current status of burn wound pathophysiology

Recent progress in burn care, including aggressive surgical wound closure, has led to improved survival rates for patients with large bums. As a result, physicians now must address issues such as rehabilitation and reconstruction for patients who have survived fluid resuscitation, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and extensive grafting procedures, and who may have impaired mobility and hypertrophic scars. Despite advances, clinicians cannot reliably predict or prevent the formation of hypertrophic scars. This article discusses the pathophysiology of burn wounds, which is required knowledge for an understanding of hypertrophic scar formation.