Overview

India faces a substantial burn burden, with an estimated 2.1 million people sustaining burn injuries each year, 25,000 deaths and 1.4 million disability‑adjusted life years (DALYs) lost, making burns a major public‑health concern.

Zydus Hospital Burn Care Capabilities

The burns and plastic surgery department at Zydus Hospital, Ahmedabad, led by Dr. Girish Amlani, Sr. Plastic Surgeon, has built a strong track record in severe burn treatment. Over the last five years the unit has treated more than 300 patients whose burns covered more than 50 % of total body surface area (TBSA), achieving a survival rate exceeding 90 %.

Clinical Highlights

  • Severity thresholds: Burns above 20 % TBSA are classified as severe; in children, burns over 10 % TBSA are alarming, while in adults the threshold is around 20 %. Burns exceeding 30 % TBSA typically require admission to the Burn ICU.
  • Critical care: Patients are managed in a dedicated Burn ICU under Dr. Pratibha Dileep, Critical Care and Hospital Infection Control Specialist, with support from Dr. Chintan Dhebar, Critical Care Specialist. The first three days focus on airway management, fluid and electrolyte balance, and pain control, followed by weekly reassessment of antibiotic dosing, blood‑sample infection screening, and routine central‑line changes.
  • Notable cases:
  • A 40‑year‑old police officer arrived with 65 % TBSA burns affecting chest, both arms, both legs and back. He was hospitalized for two months, later readmitted for skin grafting.
  • A 3‑year‑old girl suffered 30 % TBSA scald burns and spent 10 days in the pediatric ICU before transfer to the ward.
  • A pregnant woman at six months amenorrhea presented with 60 % TBSA burns; both mother and baby survived and are reported to be doing well.
  • Burn victims from the 2025 Air India crash received calf‑derived split‑thickness grafts to release finger contractures.

Advanced Surgical Techniques

The team uses an electric dermatome to harvest split‑thickness skin grafts without damaging deeper tissue. Harvested grafts are passed through a meshing device that perforates them, allowing each sheet to expand three to six times its original size. This enables a small donor area to cover extensive wounds while the mesh pattern provides drainage channels that reduce fluid pooling beneath the graft.

Multidisciplinary Care Framework

Management involves intensivists, pain‑management specialists, physiotherapists, psychologists, nephrologists, anaesthesiologists and infectious‑disease experts. Central lines are inserted in almost all severe cases and are replaced weekly for monitoring and rapid fluid resuscitation. Blood transfusions are frequently required as burn size increases, and albumin is administered to manage fluid shifts and swelling.

Infection Control and Wound Dressing

Daily dressings employ calcium alginate, Acticoat (a silver‑based antimicrobial dressing), and collagen powder to lower infection risk. The hospital’s tightly controlled isolation setup helps reduce infection and fluid‑pooling complications, which are leading causes of graft failure.

Industrial and Chemical Burns Context

A significant share of patients present with electrical or chemical burns, reflecting Gujarat’s industrial and chemical manufacturing base. Electrical burns often appear minor externally but cause deep tissue damage, potentially leading to acute kidney injury and requiring coordinated care among surgeons, nephrologists and critical‑care physicians.

Airway Burn Management

Upper airway burns, typically from smoke inhalation or thermal injury, may involve only 5‑10 % TBSA but can cause respiratory failure requiring ventilator support. Intubation is performed by experienced physicians due to altered airway anatomy.

Rehabilitation

Post‑healing rehabilitation includes physiotherapy and psychological support to aid long‑term recovery. The multidisciplinary approach is credited for the unit’s high survival and functional outcomes.

For more information, visit https://zydushospitals.com/.