During the acute period of burn care, a focus of care is to promote healing of full-thickness burn wounds. Which nursing interventions are necessary before this healing can begin?

Question

1. Administration of diuretics to reduce edema in the wound bed
2. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic methods to achieve pain-free status
3. Debridement and cleansing to rid the wound bed of eschar
4. Nutritional support to return the patient to preburn weight

Answer 1

3
Rationale 1: Diuretics are not used to reduce this type of edema.
Rationale 2: The patient will not be pain free as long as the wound is open. Pain will decrease with wound closure but may continue into the rehabilitative phase.
Rationale 3: For the wound to heal, it must be free of the dead tissue resulting from burn injury.
Rationale 4: Efforts to return the patient to preburn weight continue throughout the acute phase as wound closure begins. It may be several months or years before preburn weight is achieved.