About the Burn Center

The multi-disciplinary Burns Center is made up of nurses, social workers, nutritionists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, physicians in training, and three surgical faculty physicians. Critically burned children and adults are cared for in specialized intensive care units. Non-critical patients are cared for in a specialized surgical floor area by a specially trained nursing staff, the only such team in South Florida. Patients are admitted mostly from Florida but also come from the Caribbean islands, Central America, and South America. Burn patients not requiring in-hospital care are seen in the out-patient clinic four days a week and the surgical emergency room at all other times.

All clinical care is provided for patients. Initial resuscitation and wound evaluation determines if patients are admitted to the intensive care unit, the non-critical burn care area, or have treatment as an out-patient. The surgical faculty provides surgical and non-surgical wound care in the intensive care unit, the operating room, and in the specialized general floor area. Specially trained nurses provide daily care. Burn rehabilitation for in-patients and out-patients is provided by experienced occupational and physical therapists in the specialized rehabilitation area. This insures continuity of care by a constant team while in the hospital and until the wounds are mature, which frequently is a year of intense rehabilitation care.

In addition to caring for burn patients, the burn service is actively involved with fire and burn prevention programs. This is done through local presentation aimed at adults and children. Twice a year the Fire Safety Festival is attended by Miami-Dade County school children who are taught the fire dangers of items and situation in and outside their home. The program is given in conjunction with the Fire Departments of Miami Dade County and its municipalities.

An educational program for fire-starters is given at the Burn Center, showing children the consequence of fires and burns. Children attend this program at the requests of concerned parents, county and state services, and the courts of South Florida.

A re-entry program is designed to help children get back to a normal life. Nurses and social workers go to the schools of burned children to talk and answer questions about their classmates when the burned child goes back to school. It is a learning experience for classmates and teachers.

An active research program that includes participation by residents, fellows and faculty is directed at understanding the burn injury and how to improve patient care. Clinical and basic science studies are supported by the Burn Center Endowment created and enhanced by the generous work and donations of South Florida citizens. Support from our benefactors has made the Burn Center possible and keeps it at the forefront of patient care, education, and research.

IMPORTANT FACTS TO KNOW…

• Children set 50 percent of fires.
• The home kitchen is the prime site for a child to be burned.
  Hot foods, water, cookware, and stoves are responsible for the largest number of burn cases and the most cases requiring hospital admission for extended treatment.
• Reducing the hot water heater temperature to between 120 F and 130 F reduces the risk of serious scald burns in children.
• Death rates are highest among young children and the elderly, in part because of their difficulty in escaping from a burning building.
• Teenage males 16 years and older suffer a substantial number of burn injuries due to chemical burns incurred in the course of automotive maintenance and leg burns due to motorcycle riding.