In general, the severity of the burn is a measure of the depth and size of the burn. Determining the size of a burn is difficult because each person is different in size, shape, and weight. It is not possible to simply choose which universal burn size is meaningful. One square foot of burned area is much worse for a 130-pound person than it is for a 200-pound person.
To account for irregularities in size and shape, the shot area is calculated as a percentage of the total body area. Of course, we don't really know how many square centimeters of skin a person covers, but we do know, for example, how much skin it takes to cover our arms and legs.
Rule of nines
To approximate the percentage of burned area, the body was divided into eleven parts:
- Head
- Right hand
- Left hand
- Breast
- Abdomen
- Upper back
- Lumbar region
- Right thigh
- Left thigh
- Right leg (below knee)
- Left leg (below knee)
Each of these areas needs about nine percent of the skin to cover it. In total, these sections represent 99 percent. The genitals make up the last percentage of the total body area.
To apply the rule of nines, bend areas of the body that are burned deep enough to cause blisters or worse ( second or third degree burns). For example, the entire left arm and chest are 18 percent blistered. The partial areas are rounded. For example, the face is only the front half of the head and will count as 4.5%.
Because children are made differently from adults, the Rule of Nine is being amended, which of course destroys the meaning of making this instrument a Rule of Nine . In fact, there are so many variations for different age groups that it would be useless to analyze them here.
The most important thing to remember about the Rule of Nine is that it is designed to be used in the field to quickly determine if patients need to go to a specialized burn center. Once the patient is in the area of the burn, more advanced methods will be used to determine the exact area of the burn area.
The total area of the burned surface is not the only thing that determines whether a burn is critical or not. It is also important to find out the extent of the burn .
