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Every year, about 51,000 Americans are hospitalized for burn treatmentc and, according to the American Burn Association, approximately 5,500 die from burn-related injuries and complications. However, the incidence and severity of burn injuries has declined significantly over the past 20 years, and patient survival rates continue to increase. The first great strides in burn survival/treatment related to helping victims endure the initial shock of a burn, and prevent significant fluid loss. Further, efforts to control infection, a serious threat to burn patients, has also dramatically improved. After stabilizing the patient and cleaning out the wound, the next step is to cover it. Specialized nutritional support has also helped burn victims.
Immediate surgical excision, or removal, of burn tissue is the most recent advance in burn treatment. "The sooner you close the wound, the sooner the patient gets better," says Robert Klein, M.D., medical director of the regional burn center at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Ohio.
Further, an extensive, long-term study by researchers at the Shriners Hospital in Boston, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that most children who survive massive burns, i.e. burns involving more than 70 percent of their bodies, can expect to have a quality of life comparable to children their ages in the general population. Before the 1970s, children suffering burns over one third or more of their bodies rarely survived. The few who did not die during the first few days after being injured often died from massive infection in the weeks following the burn. Today, thanks to quantum leaps in medical treatment and research, it is possible to save the lives of children with burns covering more than 90 percent of their body surface.
Many burn survivors face the difficult challenge of deciding whether and when to file a lawsuit. Hiring a lawyer can be part of the physical and emotional recovery process for a burn survivor. First, the attorney should assist the survivor in locating and obtaining quality medical and rehabilitative services. Without this help, many insurance companies will attempt to limit the kind, quantity or location of services. If the claim or lawsuit is successful, it can provide the resources to obtain even higher quality rehabilitative and reconstructive services than most insurance companies' policies cover.
Finally, the progression from "victim" to "survivor" to "thriver" can be greatly facilitated through a lawsuit. Immediately after being severely injured, a burn survivor can feel like a helpless victim. Successfully surviving the accident, and then treatment, often help the burn patient move from "victim" to "survivor." A lawsuit can help a burn victim move from the "survivor" stage, and back into the normal, "thriving" lifestyle enjoyed by the victim prior to the accident. Placing responsibility on the "at fault" parties can be an enormously empowering event. Taking action which will result in safer procedures or products, so that other people are not injured, can serve as a rewarding and cathartic event for a burn victim. These possibilities are often achieved only through legal action, and with the assistance of experienced, qualified counsel.
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