BURN CARE AND PREVENTION JOURNAL

Introduction
Burns have been a major problem for humans ever since the discovery of fire and its applications. Burns and their treatments are recognized in cave paintings estimated to be more than 3500 years old. One of the earliest records of burn treatment was described in an Egyptian Smith Papyrus written in 1600 BC, which advocated the use of resin and honey salve for treatment of burns,¹ as well as the Ebers Papyrus in 1500 BC, which described the use of a wide variety of substances for treatment of burn wounds.² In 600 BC, Chinese physicians described the use of tea leaf extracts and tinctures for burns.¹ Many famous philosophers and physicians have contributed to burn wound management such as Hippocrates, who, in 400 BC, described the use of bulky dressings impregnated with rendered pig fat and resin with alternated warm vinegar soaks, augmented with tanning solutions made from oak bark.¹ In the 1st century AD, Celsus described the use of wine and myrrh as a burn lotion, which had bacteriostatic properties.¹ The first description of first aid for burns was around 854 CE to 925 CE, by Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (or otherwise known as Rhases in the west), an Arabian physician, who recommended cold water for the relief of pain from burns.³

Since the 1950s and 1960s, many medical experts around the world have thrown themselves into the research of burns and have contributed a great amount of experimental data that have advanced the field of burn treatment.

Burns are associated with various complications. Individuals with burn injuries are affected not only physically but also psychologically and socio-economically. Burn injuries do not only involve the patient and the doctor, but also society as a whole. They can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone…

Because the risk factors of burns are preventable and the complications caused by burns in burn survivors are life-threatening, truly the best way to treat a burn is to prevent it from happening in the first place.

As physicians in the field of burn care, our first goal should be to support professionals in the field of burn care, to create public awareness, and to educate our nations regarding prevention of fire disasters and burns.

In this article, I would like to give you some brief historical data about the development of burn care in Turkey and also some brief information about burn prevention strategies at Baskent University Hospitals and the Baskent University Institute of Burn, Fire, and Natural Disaster, which was established in the 1980s.

Fellowship at Shriners Burns Institute

Following my graduation in 1967 from Ankara University, School of Medicine, I joined the Department of General Surgery at Hacettepe University Medical School, in July 1967, as a resident. Upon completion of my residency in 1971, I was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of General Surgery at Hacettepe University Medical School. In addition to the transplant models that I was working on, I was also greatly interested in burn care. Therefore, I decided to apply to several universities in the United States, and I was accepted as a fellow at the Shriners Burns Institute and John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas, USA. I studied with Drs. Duane Larson and Mario Dubokowsky and learned a great deal about clinical burn care, rehabilitation, and experimental studies (Figure 1).

On my return to Turkey on June 30, 1975, my first goal was to establish a burn unit at Hacettepe University Hospitals. My team and I set goals to not only improve tissue and organ transplantation but also to expand health care for patients with burn injuries. Thus, as part of our efforts, a burn unit was established at Hacettepe University Hospitals (Figure 2).

Establishment of Turkish Burn Society and the First National Burn Meeting

During this period, there were only a few burn units in Turkey. Convinced of the need for a national burn society, I founded the Turkish Burn Society in 1979. We held the first National Burn Congress on May 26 and May 27, 1979, supported by the Turkish Burn Society. I decided to invite Dr. Rudy P. Hermans, President of the Dutch Burn Society, to the Congress, and he graciously accepted my invitation and honored us with his presence at this meeting (Figure 3).

Establishment of the Turkish Organ Transplantation and Burn Foundation

Burn care treatment and research began in 1980 at the medical center associated with the Turkish Organ Transplantation and Burn Foundation, which I founded on September 4, 1980 (Figure 4). The Foundation’s aims are listed in Table 1.

In Turkey, electrical injuries,⁴ scalds, and thermal burns constitute a devastating percentage of all burn injuries and are common among children and adolescents.^5,6 Since the 1980s, the Turkish Transplantation and Burn Foundation and the Haberal Educational Foundation have launched intensive educational programs and prevention strategies to improve burn care facilities and to educate people and create awareness among the public (Figure 5).

In 1986, I founded the Haberal Education Foundation, aimed at supporting and improving educational activities related to transplantation and burn care in Turkey (Figure 6).

In addition, the Baskent University Institute of Burn, Fire, and Natural Disaster, which I founded in 2003, carries out clinical and experimental research projects and organizes scientific meetings that reach a large number of burn care professionals in Turkey as well as the Middle East and Mediterranean Coast, including North Africa. The Institute collaborates with the Ministry of Health for the standardization of burn units.

Baskent University has been among the innovators of modern burn care in Turkey. Currently, there are 3 burn centers affiliated with the Baskent University Institute of Burn, Fire, and Natural Disaster. These burn centers are located in different cities of Turkey: Adana (established in 1997), Konya (established in 2003), and Ankara (established in 2003) (Figures 7 and 8).⁷

Specially trained staff, including general surgeons, pediatric surgeons, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anesthetists, nutritionists, physiotherapists, psychiatrists and social workers, nurses, and health care workers, are employed in these modernly designed centers. Professional knowledge of the staff is updated every year, and renovations to physical spaces are made if needed.

These facilities are based on a multidisciplinary approach, with experienced staff members who are dedicated to total rehabilitation of the burn patient. Burn prevention, first aid, burn care, and rehabilitation of the patient are the main components of qualified burn care.

These Foundations continue to carry out educational and promotional activities, especially in schools and workplaces, through all available forms of media.

My personal slogan, “Burns happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone,” indicates just how unpredictable burn injuries can be. Individuals with burn injuries are scarred not only physically but also emotionally, socially, and economically, thus necessitating medical and humanitarian approaches. I shall continue my work in this field for many years to come, providing care for all victims of burns and fire disasters. If I have been able to make any difference at all, then I believe that I have truly achieved something of worth.

For the prevention of burns to continue successfully, the following factors must be in place: (1) the number and quality of burn units both in Turkey and Middle East should be increased; (2) in-service training of health care professionals should be implemented; (3) legal regulations for the prevention of home and industrial accidents and outdoor safety conditions should be upgraded; and (4) a curriculum for continuous public education for prevention and first aid of burns should be prepared.

Volume: 1 Issue: 2 June 2021

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