Glossary S - Z

Sandals (for burns)
A splint worn to support and protect burned feet while healing.

Scar
A mark left on the skin after a wound has healed. It looks like puffy red skin. The scar can be very small or very big. A scar can be so big that it makes normal movement difficult.

Sensation
The power or ability to see, hear, smell, taste or touch.

Sheet graft
Donor skin that is removed from an unburned area of the body. The sheet donor is not meshed - holes are NOT put into a sheet graft.

Silver Sulfadiazine
A medicine that is a white antibiotic cream. The cream is either spread directly on the burn or put on a dressing that covers a burn.

Skin
The outer covering of the body. The skin protects the organs inside the body and is the sense organ for touch, temperature and pain.

Skin Graft
An operation where a doctor attaches donor skin to a place on the body that has been burned.

Soft Kling
A type of bandage. It is a small soft, stretchy, wrap often used to cover burns on fingers.

Splints
Splints are made of many materials. Splints are used to hold parts of the body in the best position after a burn in order to:
1. support and protect the burned areas while healing
2. prevent the skin from shrinking as it heals
3. restore range of motion of a joint by stretching the skin

Stethoscope
A instrument used by doctors and nurses to listen to heartbeats and other sounds in the body.

Sulfamylon
A medicine that is a white antibiotic cream. The cream is either spread directly on the burn or put on a dressing that covers a burn. Sulfamylon is generally used only on third degree,full thickness burns.

Surgeon
A doctor who performs surgeries.

Surgical staples
Staples that are used to secure the edges of a graft to healthy skin. Staples are used to hold a graft in place.

Surgical sutures
Stitches made from with a needle and silk or nylon thread. Sutures are used to hold a graft in place.

Tall walker
A type of walker that has a bar overhead to hold. A tall walker is used for when you have burned your hands or arms.

Therabite
A exercise splint used to stretch the mouth.

Therapy
Therapy might include exercise, splinting, positioning, using compression garments, transparent face masks or learning about how to best help the body heal after a burn. Working on therapy is a part of getting well after a burn injury.

Tilt table
A special table that moves a person from a lying down position to a standing position. A tilt table is used to help a person get used to standing again after being in bed for a very long period of time.

Traction
A pulling or drawing. Traction is commonly used for positioning after a burn injury.

Transparent face mask (TFO)
A see-through mask that is worn after a face burn. A face mask is a splint that helps grafted skin on the face heal so that it is soft and smooth with the least amount of scarring.

Unna
Zinc oxide medicine in a fabric open weave wrap that dries to form a soft cast. It can be removed by soaking in water.

Veins
Veins are tubes inside the body that bring the blood back to the heart. They are bigger than capillaries.

Ventilator
A machine that helps a person breathe. The ventilator is connected to the endotracheal tube (ET Tube) - the tube that goes into the lungs. Just like blowing air into a balloon, the ventilator blows air into the lungs.

Versed
A medicine that makes you sleepy and forget any unpleasant experience.

Xeroform
A yellow gauze dressing that is put on cleaned second degree burns.