This volume covers the entire spectrum of acute burn treatment. Individual chapters deal with basic aspects of different burn mechanisms as well as the acute care of burn patients. Pre-hospital management, critical care and basic concepts of burn surgery related to the acute phase, as well as the use of skin and skin substitutes in early stages of therapy are addressed in this volume. Chapters on supportive therapies such as optimizing nutrition and fluid homeostasis, infection control and treatment, respiratory support and pain management complete the comprehensive approach to the patient in this early stage of treatment, while chapters on epidemiology, prevention and disaster management enable the reader to evaluate the given information in a broader context.

List of contributers .- A history of burn care .- Epidemiology and prevention of burns throughout the world .- Prevention of burn injuries .- Burns associated with wars and disasters .- Education in burns .- European practice guidelines for burn care: Minimum level of burn care provision in Europe .-  Pre-hospital, fluid and early management, burn wound evaluation .-  Medical documentation of burn injuries .-  Pathophysiology of burn injury .- Anesthesia for patients with acute burn injuries .-Diagnosis and management of inhalation injury .- Respiratory management .- Organ responses and organ support .- Critical care of thermally injured patient .- Treatment of infection in burns .- Acute treatment of severely burned pediatric patients .- Adult burn management .- Burns in older adults .- Acute management of facial burns .-  Hand burns .- Treatment of burns - established and novel Technology .- Wound healing  .- Pain management after burn trauma .- Nutrition support for the burn patient .- HBO and burns .- Nursing management of the burn-injured person .- Outpatient burn care .- Electrical injury .- Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of chemical burns .-  Necrotizing and exfoliative diseases of the skin .- Frostbite .- Subject index