               
|
 |
 Dressed in surgical gowns, burn-team director Dr. Roger Yurt and plastic surgeon Dr. Harvey Himel prepare for work in the operating theater |
|
| A NEW YORK HOSPITAL BURN UNIT BRINGS SPECIALISTS
TOGETHER TO TREAT PAIN-RACKED PATIENTS WHO HAVE BEEN
To Hell and Back BY LEON JAROFF REPORTED BY ALICE PARK/NEW YORK 
t happens in an instant, but the scars and psychological damage
can last a lifetime. An inquisitive child pulls at the handle of
a pot on the stove and is scalded by a cascade of boiling water.
A smoker falls asleep with a lighted cigarette and is badly
burned when the bedding catches fire. An eruption of caustic
chemicals engulfs a worker, eating away skin and flesh. A blast
of superheated air burns a fire fighter's face and damages his
lungs.
Some 1.25 million Americans suffer burns every year. Most of them quickly recover, both physically and mentally, with permanent damage limited to a small scar or two. But more than 50,000 burn victims require hospitalization annually, and 5,000 die of their injuries. For the more severely burned, life hangs in the balance as they fight to survive the loss of large portions of the skin's protective covering, which keeps body temperature normal and internal organs properly hydrated. Many of the survivors continue to suffer psychologically, not only from varying degrees of disfigurement but also from frightening and debilitating flashbacks of their ordeal.
|