About the Burn Center:

The J. M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia is the largest burn center in the United States. It includes 4 dedicated operating rooms, 36 intensive care beds within a total of 70 burn beds, as well as hyperbaric oxygen chambers. The youngest patient served was 2 days old and the oldest was 105 years old.

The premise and promise of the burn center has been to treat all comers and they never turn away a patient in need of specialized burn care.

Though the Joseph M. Still Burn Center is focused mainly on burn patients the expertise in skin care has led to the creation of the Advanced Wound Management Center in Doctors Hospital, which is run by Dr. Robert Mullins. The outpatient clinic treats in excess of 1000 patients each month.

About the Symposium:

Gena Markwalter, NP (nurse practitioner), presented "Critical Care Management of Burns" and noted that the multidiscplinary technique the burn center has employed since inception has produced a 96% survival rate which is one of the highest for burn victims in the world.

Ronald E. Goans, PhD, MD, MPH discussed "Local Radiation Injury" and pointed out that the actual dose of radiation is rarely known when a patient is first seen. The dose is estimated after the lesion has run its course, usually over several weeks.

Tommy Farmer, ASAC, of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and State Director of the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force discussed burns received by methamphetamine manufacturers. He said "if you keep making meth, you will catch yourself on fire."
 
Richard J. Cartie, MD, Director of Pediatric Critical Care Services at the burn center discussed resuscitation and child abuse. Regarding resuscitation Cartie stressed that you cannot give too much fluid to a child with a big burn and for medium burns give fluids as needed. Regarding the child abuse he showed pictures burned children that sometimes matched the story the parents told and sometimes did not match. 

Fred Mullins, MD, president and medical director of the burn center, talked about disasters and described the burn center's response to the Imperial Sugar Refinery fire of 2008 in Savannah. He lectured on how to properly triage disaster patients, who to treat and how to expedite treatment and transport.

About Liz Buddenhagen:

The Atlanta legal nurse consultant has been assisting Atlanta attorneys for 6 years with their legal cases involving medical issues. Buddenhagen has a 30 year clinical background including adult and neonatal critical care. For more information visit www.Legal-Nurse-Consultants-Augusta.com, email Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com or call 770-725-2997.