Burn injury-related anesthetic emergencies

Anesthesia for burn patients is challenging since these victims usually present with hemodynamic instability and relatively high fluid and metabolic requirements. Nevertheless, adequate knowledge of early and late pathophysiologic changes associated with this type of injury and an organized approach will lead to safe management and avoidance of complications, and thus a decrease in morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, it is essential to have knowledge about alterations in pharmacologic responses of such patients during administration of drugs in the perioperative period. Anesthetic management must be guided by the pathophysiology of burn trauma. Finally, burn victims, like many other trauma patients, have multiple needs. Therefore, a team approach, with involvement from nurses, intensivists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social service workers, physical therapists, nutritionists, and respiratory therapists, is essential.