Initial management of a patient with extensive burn injury.

During the resuscitation period, a knowledge of burn pathophysiology assists the nurse in conducting thorough assessments and providing effective nursing interventions in the acutely ill patient. The many variables associated with the burn injury contribute to the presentation of each burn patient as one with a unique injury that requires the most vigilant nursing care and expertise. The total dedication required of health care workers as members of a multidisciplinary burn team provides a significant professional challenge. Meeting that challenge appreciably strengthens the chances of burn patient survival.