Burn resuscitation refers to the replacement of fluids in burn patients to combat the hypovolemia and hypoperfusion that can result from the body’s systemic response to burn injury.

The history of modern burn resuscitation can be traced back to observations made after large urban fires at the Rialto Theatre (New Haven, Conn) in 1921 and the Coconut Grove nightclub (Boston, Mass) in 1942. At the time, physicians noted that some patients with large burns survived the event but died from shock in the observation periods. Underhill and Moore identified the concept of thermal injury–induced intravascular fluid deficits in the 1930s and 1940s, and Evans soon followed with the earliest fluid resuscitation formulas in 1952. Up to that point, burns covering as little as 10-20% of total body surface area (TBSA) were associated with high rates of mortality.

Burns are a serious cause of human suffering and mortality globally. As many as 5% of burn victims will die as a result of their injuries, and many others will suffer disability, disfigurement, or scarring.

This course addresses vital information regarding burn resuscitation and the early management thereof.