Providers at the UCH Burn Center can often heal patients more quickly, with less pain and fewer complications.
Colorado's leader in treating burns
We're the only adult burn center in Colorado verified by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons. We have been Colorado's leading burn center since 1976.
We've earned this distinction because we bring a unique multidisciplinary team to meet the complex needs of patients coping with burn, trauma and other serious skin conditions.
What are Burns?
A burn isn't always the result of flames or heat. A burn is damage to body tissue caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals or radiation.
About a million Americans a year suffer burn injuries, resulting in 45,000 hospitalizations.
Approximately 3,500 people die each year from residential fires, and 500 from burns sustained in motor vehicle and aircraft crashes. A majority of burns occur in the home, followed by the street/highway and workplace.
Burns are classified as first, second or third degree, according to their severity. The most common types of burns include:
- Fire/flame
- Scald
- Contact with a hot object
- Electrical
- Chemical
Your Burn Medical Team
Burn patients have many complex needs. What makes our approach effective is that physicians and nurses from many related specialties form a team to understand and treat each special patient and each patient's special circumstances.
Each team is made up of:
Burn Specialists
Surgeons – a medical doctor with education and training in diagnosing and providing surgical care.
Registered nurse – graduated from a formal nursing education program and is licensed by the state of Colorado.
Burn technician – specially trained in treating burn wounds
Psychiatrist – a board-certified medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental disorders.
Pharmacist – has a doctorate degree in the science of medication.
Other Burn Staff
Social workers – help individuals ensure their personal well being and provide the resources for people to get the help they need, by assessing all aspects of their life and culture.
Case workers – help patients by coordinating services and other needs
Nutritionists – health professionals with special training in nutrition. They help patients determine the best dietary choices for better health.
Physical therapists – a licensed health care professional who use a variety of tools to help patients improve mobility.
Occupational therapists – a health professional trained to help people improve their ability to do daily tasks.
Tests, Treatments, and Therapies
Tests
Physical exam – a doctor will examine you to determine the kind of burn and its severity
Treatments
We're an "academic hospital," which means our burn team, with its great research base at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, stays current with the newest, best treatments and medicine. It uses the most advanced range of wound healing techniques before using surgical intervention, including:
Collagenase – an enzyme that breaks down collagen in damaged tissue and helps healthy tissue to grow
Surgery – used for a variety of purposes, including wound debridement and cleaning, to release scar tissue, and for skin grafting on full-thickness wounds
Therapies
Patients get early and ongoing therapies to help them heal more quickly, including:
Physical therapy – our physical therapists work to improve patient mobility
Occupational therapy – our occupational therapists work to help patients improve ability to perform daily tasks
Nutrition therapy – our dedicated nutritionist understands the special caloric needs of burn patients
Burn Research
Ongoing research is one of the things that sets University of Colorado Hospital apart from other hospitals in the region. UCH researchers currently are conducting a variety of research into caring for burn patients. Some of the areas being studied include:
- Fecal management in burn patients
- Improvements in wound care
- Red blood cell synthesis.
New Burn Research
Our researchers also are looking at erythropoises in burns. The focus is red blood cell synthesis. The goal is to minimize burn patients' blood transfusions.
Burn Research Trials
For information on specific research trials, please contact Dr. Gordon Lindberg, (720) 848-7583.