Controlling Edema

Edema is swelling. Cells and blood vessels in the body contain fluids*. When a burn occurs fluid leaks out of the cells and blood vessls, and this fluid leak causes swelling. The swelling can be only around the area burned (local) or throughout the entire body (systemic). The larger the burn, the more swelling usually occurs. Generally the symptoms of edema are limited to the area of the burn itself, as long as the total burn is less than 25% TBSA or the patient is less than sixty years old. When the burn is larger or the patient is older, local reactions become systemic ones. If a patient suffers facial burns, the eyes may swell shut, making it impossible for them to open their eyes. This can be scary for the patient as well as the family members because the burned person no longer looks like their loved one. Fortunately, the leak usually begins to seal about twelve hours after the injury and becomes completely sealed after twenty-four hours. What this means is that the swelling will start to decrease in two to three days.

*There are four main body fluids; blood, lymph, tissue fluid and the fluid inside cells. An adult contains 32 or 42 quarts of water, but only 4 to 5 quarts of this is in the blood. Most of the fluid in our body is found inside cells and as tissue fluid surrounding the cells.