Burn Surgery
At Shriners Children’s, our world-class surgical team provides specialized care and life-changing treatment to children with burn injuries.
Traumatic Wounds
Our award-winning, internationally recognized physicians are able to treat children with traumatic wounds at a moment's notice.
Any injury to your child can be traumatic. Because of our wound care expertise, we refer to animal bites and friction burns, such as road rash or treadmill injuries, as “traumatic wounds.” When the skin is punctured or rubbed briskly over a rough surface, a traumatic wound can occur.
An animal bite – most often a dog bite – can be a frightening and painful experience for your child. The Shriners Children’s team can guide you through the care and treatments available that are specific to your child's needs.
Friction burns can be quite serious and painful and can result in first, second, or third-degree burns. Depending on the size and depth of injury, friction burns may be treated conservatively with a dressing and ointments, or may require skin grafting. If needed, our team will provide care for skin infections and injuries. The Shriners Children’s care team will assess your child’s wound and develop a treatment plan that they will review with you. Your care team will also provide treatment recommendations for chronic or difficult to heal wounds.
Your child’s surgeons and other care providers understand the concerns while navigating this journey. Be reassured that if your child has a traumatic wound, you'll have a Shriners Children's care team to guide you the whole way.
Specific treatments and services may vary by location. Please contact a specific location for more information.
Dog Bites
You may not think of a dog bite – or any animal bite – as a traumatic wound, but that's what it is. The wound care specialists at Shriners Children's will assess your child’s wound and develop a treatment plan that they will review with you.
Road Rash
Road rash is a type of friction burn resulting from scraping your skin against something rough. Though most common as a result of bicycle, skateboard or motorcycle accidents, it can occur a number of other ways as well. Road rash can be a fairly minor injury, but in cases where several layers of skin are torn away, skin grafting may be necessary.
Treadmill Burns
Treadmill burns may not initially come to mind when we think of burns, but they are actually quite common in children. That exercise equipment that sits in our home is often tempting for children to try while Mom or Dad is using it, and treadmills can move at more than 8 feet per second. When a child's hand touches a moving treadmill, the force of friction is so great that a severe burn can occur instantly that can require serious medical care.
To know that you're getting the best possible care that's available in the world is a sense of relief.
Locations for Traumatic Wound care
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Shriners Children's provides specialty health care to children around the world. We offer a comprehensive range of treatments, services and support to improve the quality of our patients’ lives and help them reach their full potential.
Advancing Care and Healing with Skin Grafting
Because the skin serves as a natural barrier to infection, skin grafts help prevent the child from dealing with exposure to life-threatening bacteria and germs that may complicate their recovery. Of course, the earlier a child receives initial treatment after a serious burn injury, the better their outcome will be.
Innovative Treatments
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Skin Grafting
Shriners Children’s is advancing care and healing for children with burns. When a part of the body loses its protective covering, we can perform skin grafting, which is a transplantation of skin from one area of the body to another.
Plastic Surgery
Shriners Children’s experienced pediatric plastic surgeons use reconstructive plastic surgery techniques to bring hope and healing to families dealing with differences involving the face, jaw, eyelids, ears, breasts or skin.
Scar Management
As burn wounds heal, Shriners Children’s will develop a scar management plan tailored to your child’s needs. Laser technology is very effective at reducing scars and improving their overall appearance.
Outpatient Burn Care
At Shriners Children’s we offer burn care in our outpatient clinic. Your child may transition to our clinic as wounds heal, or the injury may be managed on an outpatient basis.
Next Steps
Request an Appointment
Families and caregivers seeking treatment should start by contacting us for an appointment.
Log in to the Patient Portal
Parents and guardians of existing patients can email, request records, schedule appointments and more.
Refer a Patient
Physicians and healthcare providers can request appointments, start transfers or contact us with questions.