Please note: This is the pharmacology version of the course: Burn Injuries: Emergency and Rehabilitation Management for Different Burn Types N132D. Click here to take the general version (no pharmacology CEs).

Course Summary

Expiration Date: 05/14/2029

Burn injuries require immediate emergency interventions to minimize scarring and long-term impact. The initial evaluation includes patient airway and circulation status and stabilization, and a secondary survey follows for associated trauma and burn classification. Patient history, including allergies and medication reconciliation, is crucial. Complications of a burn injury such as edema and compartment syndrome, nutritional status, pain, and gastrointestinal dysfunction must be continuously monitored, along with essential laboratory testing, which includes carboxyhemoglobin and lactate. A holistic approach for burn management should aim at improving care outcomes through rapid response and continuous monitoring of physiological responses to injury.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
    • Initial Assessment and Rapid Response
    • Initial Assessment of the Burn Patient
    • Primary Survey: Airway Stabilization and C-Spine Immobilization
    • Breathing Status and Interventions
    • Circulation Status
    • Secondary Survey and Evaluation of Associated Trauma
    • Glasgow Coma Scale
  • Burn Type and Classification
    • Tissue Impact and Burn Classification
    • Rule of Nines and Lund and Browder Method
  • Patient History and Evaluation
    • Past Medical History
    • Events Preceding the Injury
  • Edema and Compartment Syndrome
    • Edema
    • Compartment Syndrome
  • Monitoring for Burn Complications
    • Fluid Resuscitation and Nutrition
    • Micro- and Macroelements
    • Cardiovascular Disease
    • Hypermetabolism
    • Pain Management
    • Neuropathic Pain
    • Gastrointestinal Dysfunction
    • Initial and Continuous Monitoring of Laboratory Tests
    • Predictors of Sepsis
  • Psychological Care
  • Case Study: Partial-Thickness Burns
    • Discussion
  • Key Takeaways
  • Summary

Author

Marilyn Lajoie, MD, DC, CCSP

Dr. Marilyn Lajoie obtained her medical degree from Saba University School of Medicine in 1999, Her residency began with one year of Anatomical and Surgical Pathology at Orlando Regional Medical Center, before transferring within the same post-graduate residency program to Internal Medicine. Upon completion of residency, she went into private practice in Orlando, where she specialized in Internal Medicine, Sports Medicine and Rehab, as well as acute and chronic pain management. Before becoming a medical doctor, she had practiced as a Chiropractic Physician, graduating from New York Chiropractic College in 1980, practicing initially on Long Island, N.Y., before moving to Florida where she had a successful chiropractic practice and physical rehabilitation center, and gained recognition as a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician. Dr. Lajoie was also the Director of Physical Therapy at Horizon Hospital, a residential and outpatient psychiatric hospital, and later, continued in the same capacity at Horizon’s sister psychiatric hospital in Brooksville, Florida. Dr. Lajoie maintained her chiropractic license and continued to practice both Internal Medicine and Chiropractic throughout private practice, until moving to the Veterans Healthcare System in 2014. Continuing in both fields, she became the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Montana VA, where she completed her service in 2021. Dr. Lajoie now works predominantly in telemedicine, and in an Expert Witness capacity for both medical and chiropractic cases. Still living in Montana, she enjoys being able to treat not only the rural areas of the state through this technology, but also patients across the US where she maintains multiple active state licenses. She and her husband also own a llama ranch with over thirty llamas that are hand selected for rare genetics. At the llama ranch, the public is invited to come and visit to learn about these elegant creatures, and to see ranch life firsthand – llama style! Dr. Lajoie and her husband have six adult children, as well as seven dogs.