Why are third degree burns often fatal?

Question

The burns detroy the dermis and epidermis. I think it has something to do with the fact the epidermis is there for protection and the dermis is composed of sensory neurons, blood vessels, muscle fibers etc.

Is it because many of the blood vessels are destroyed...?

Wow, great answers so far!

Answer 1

Excellant answers so far, one thing that should be mentioned however: cell debris. Not only has the body lost its protective layer against infection, but it also has all this destroyed tissue around. As the body tries to clear the area, it begins dumping a lot of toxins in the blood stream (this is expecially true if the burn damages a lot of muscle tissue. As an example (staying with the example of muscles) Rhabdomyolysis can occur. Rhabdomyolysis is a toxic build up of proteins that get released into the blood stream when a large amount of muscle gets injured. This protein is too large to pass through some of the organs of the body, and the result is multiple organ failure due to the organs being "plugged up."
Another example of the problems of 3rd degree burns is related to the amount of fluid in the body. Any injury to the body results in the body sending fluid to the area (this helps to get the immune system cells to the area). With a severe burn, the amount of fluid sent is a normal amount, but the structure to keep it in the area (all those dead cells and tissue) are no longer there, and so fluid is able to just keep "leaking" from the area. This leads to big fluid shifts in the body, resulting in too many different kinds of problems to name (low Blood pressure is one that can lead to worsening problems).

Answer 2

Third degree burns cause severe loss of body fluids and what medical people call fluid shift. This shift of fluid puts a severe strain on the lungs and heart. The lungs are frequently severely damaged due to the high temperature of the air that comes in while the victim is being burned, so it is a double whammy to them. Also, the skin is gone, and the victim is very prone to infections. An old rule of thumb that is still fairly accurate is age in years plus %of body surface area with third degree burns equals the mortality rate. Of course there are exceptions with strong 20 somethings with access to top notch burn centers, but it is a long difficult recovery.

Answer 3

The skin is a major organ for the body and as you indicated it protects our body and internal organs. Infection caused by the burn is a factor for death.Normally the vessels destroyed are for the dermis/epidermis. Almost always a victim of third degree burns over a large area of the body will go into shock. The shock can help destroy other organs as well which complicates the injury even worse. This can lead to death as well.

Answer 4

Third degree burns are deeper than first or second degree burns. They do damage more tissue. The risk of infection is very high with third degree burns. Also, they take much longer to heal.

Answer 5

there are many components that make 3rd degree burns fatal. Many have been answered so far, loss of skin=loss of fluids, protection, loss of blood vessels,etc. When the skin is burned there is a lot of dead and dying tissue that is circulated thru the body (toxic) and the organs (kidney, liver) are expected to process all of this dead, dying tissue/cells leading to an overload on these organs and if there is not an immediate supply of glucose(the body does not have the time to convert fat to the needed and usable form of glucose) these organs start to shut down thus leading to death. So, it's not so much the person dies from the burns but dies from organ failure.

Answer 6

The reason third degree burns often fatal is cause the blood vessels are destroyed an that they get infected cause the body loss the vessels that carry the antibiotic's and the blood to the burn. Make sure you keep it clean an let it get air.

Answer 7

Anyone who says loss of fluids and infection would be correct. They remove the dead burnt skin and replace it with cadaver skin (yes, cadaver skin) Hopefully it will keep enough fluid in while the anti-biotics have a chance to work. This is an awful thing but believe it or not once all the nerves are burnt away, the patient doesn't feel it anymore. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

Answer 8

Third degree burns do destroy the dermis layer which is composed of tissue that provides oxygen, assists in blood circulation, helps control body temperature, and retains fluids so we don't dehydrate, as well as protecting us from infections. When all of this is altered, life is threatened seriously.

Answer 9

the primary reason that 3rd degree burns are so fatal is that you lose you primary means of security....there is no way no to keep the fluids from leaking out, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, you ar enow one big bug sponge and every bacteria is looking at you like dinner, + all of the consequences of being burned...no where to get tissue to cover it up except from cadaveric donors, some pig tissue is ok, the new syntehtics, but it all has to be changed in order for 2ndary tissue granulation to set in...
this is the very simplified version....

Answer 10

The skin is your main line of defense against the outside world. Not your immune system, your skin. But if your skin is burned off, aside from nerve and other tissue damage, you're vulnerable to bacteria, fungal infections, and everyday air pollutants.