External and Thermal Flashcards

A chemical burn from concentrated hydrofluoric acid to 5% TBSA is particularly dangerous because it also causes:

Answer: Systemic hypocalcemia and cardiac arrhythmia

Hydrofluoric acid binds calcium, causing systemic hypocalcemia which can trigger life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias even from small TBSA exposure.

In the AIS framework, an avulsion injury is best described as:

Answer: Skin tearing with full separation of tissue from underlying structures

An avulsion involves full tearing away of skin (and possibly deeper tissue) from the underlying structures, distinct from a laceration or abrasion.

Which burn patient characteristic increases the estimated mortality risk the most when using the Revised Baux Score?

Answer: Inhalation injury

The Revised Baux Score adds 17 points for the presence of inhalation injury, significantly increasing predicted mortality.

An AIS code of 751020.3 indicates which severity level for a thermal injury?

Answer: AIS 3 — serious

The final digit of an AIS code represents the severity; '.3' indicates AIS 3 (serious).

Radiation burns (e.g., from ionizing radiation) in the AIS system are coded under which chapter?

Answer: Thermal

AIS codes radiation burns within the Thermal chapter, grouping them with other energy-transfer injuries to the skin.

A patient has extensive road-rash abrasions covering both anterior thighs after a motorcycle crash. The primary infection risk is due to:

Answer: Loss of the stratum corneum barrier

Abrasions destroy the stratum corneum, the skin's primary barrier, allowing bacterial entry and increasing infection risk.

When coding a patient with both a partial-thickness burn and a laceration on the same body segment, the AIS coder should:

Answer: Code both injuries separately

Each distinct injury must receive its own AIS code; combining injuries into a single code is not permitted under AIS methodology.