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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Burns, Fractures and Sprains

Full-thickness burn

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In emergency medicine & first aid, full-thickness burn means: The deepest type of burn, which destroys all layers of the skin and may reach fat, muscle or bone; the area can look white, leathery or charred.

In Turkish: tam kat yanık, üçüncü derece yanık

How it is used

Clinicians now prefer the terms superficial, partial-thickness and full-thickness to first, second and third degree. A full-thickness burn may hurt less than a shallower one because the nerve endings are damaged, and it usually needs specialist care and skin grafts.

Example sentences

  1. There's a full-thickness burn on his right hand from the electrical fault.

  2. Full-thickness burns covered about ten percent of her body.

Common collocations

  • partial-thickness burn
  • superficial burn
  • burn depth
  • burns unit
  • burnDamage to the skin and the tissue under it caused by heat, flames, hot liquids, chemicals, electricity or radiation.
  • scaldA burn caused by hot liquid or steam, such as boiling water, hot tea or cooking oil.
  • dressingA sterile pad or covering placed directly on a wound to protect it, absorb blood and help it heal.
  • shockA life-threatening condition in which not enough blood and oxygen reach the body's organs, for example after heavy bleeding, a severe infection or a serious allergic reaction.

More terms: Burns, Fractures and Sprains

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.