Advance with MUSC Health

MUSC Health burn center earning reputation for novel treatments, advanced care

Advance With MUSC Health
September 21, 2021
Health care provider treating a hand injury.

Burns don’t discriminate. They can harm anyone at any age --- often in the most ordinary circumstances. A pot of boiling water, an untended firepit or a casual use of household chemicals can lead to burns ranging from mild to severe and requiring skilled treatment and care.    

The South Carolina Burn Center at MUSC Health is the state’s only burn center. The 25-bed facility treats all types of burn injuries, including ones from flames, scalding, hot grease and electrical and chemical burns. The majority are thermal, those caused by flame.

The center has treated nearly 350 patients, mostly from across South Carolina, since opening on the MUSC Health Charleston campus.

“No longer do severely burned patients have to leave the state for treatment,” says Katie Hollowed, MSN, RN, program manager for the South Carolina Burn Center at MUSC Health. “Our center is fully staffed with surgeons, specially trained bedside nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists, nutritionists, social workers and a psychologist who work as a team to help patients throughout their recovery.”

The center is already building a reputation for its novel treatments and advanced care.

Hollowed says the center was the nation’s first to report performing a minimally invasive skin graft treatment instead of a traditional skin graft surgery. The technique uses an enzymatic gel along with regenerative technology that utilizes spray-on skin cells.   

Surgeons are also studying the use of an enzyme from pineapple stems to remove burned tissue without harming healthy skin.

“Even in the short time we’ve been open, we’re recognized as leaders in burn treatment and burn research,” Hollowed says.

The center also has radiant panels that heat patient rooms up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, hydrotherapy, special lasers to reduce scarring and synthetic dressing that promotes wound healing.

Hollowed says most of the center’s patients have second- and third-degree burns, which are one of four burn categories characterized by the depth of the burn.

These are:

  • First-degree burn: Affects only the epidermis, the skin’s outer layer. A first-degree burn usually heals quickly and doesn’t necessarily need expert medical attention.
  • Second-degree burn: Affects the skin’s outer layer and the dermis, the next layer of skin. Second-degree burns require medical attention and can cause scarring.
  • Third-degree burn: Extends into the fat layer, which lies beneath the dermis.  It requires treatment, such as a skin graft.
  • Fourth-degree burn: Penetrates all the skin layers and can go as deep as muscle and bone. Fourth-degree burns are the most severe. Healing depends on the severity of the burn.

Hollowed, who has devoted her career to caring for burn patients, recommends the following tips to prevent serious burns:

  • Do not give a child fireworks. Although people think sparklers are safe, the temperature of a sparkler is actually between 1,800 and 3,000 degrees, she says.
  • In hot summers, wear shoes or sandals to protect the soles of your feet.  
  • Burn trash and leaves safely.
  • Keep young children out of the kitchen. Don’t leave hot beverages on the counter or table within a child’s reach. Turn pot handles toward the back of your stove so people can’t bump into them.  
  • Establish a zone that children must not enter around stoves, grills and firepits.
  • Don’t use accelerants such as lighter fluid to fire up the grill.
  • After grilling, use sand or water to put out your fire.  
  • Don’t wear garments with loose-fitting sleeves while around flames. They can catch fire easily.
  • Check smoke detectors: Make sure each level of your home has a working smoke detector. Change the batteries twice a year.
  • Adjust your home water heater: Keep temperature no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sometimes people who are burned are uncertain whether to get medical attention. Hollowed says a burn larger than the palm of your hand, or one that turns black or white or blisters requires should be evaluated and treated.