Question

a client arrives in the emergency department after being burned in a house fire. the client's burns cover the face and the left forearm. what extent of burns does the client most likely have, measured as a percentage?

Answer 1

The client likely has 10-13% of their body surface area affected by burns, as estimated using the rule of nines with 9% for the entire head and arm, and adjusting for the partial areas of the face and left forearm.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the extent of burns covering the client's face and left forearm, we use the rule of nines. This method is a quick way to estimate the percentage of the total surface area affected by burns. Using the rule of nines, the entire head and neck region accounts for 9% of the body surface area, and each arm accounts for another 9%.

Although we don't have the precise measurement for partial areas of the head and an arm, we can estimate that the face might consist of roughly half of the head's surface area, bringing us to around 4.5%, and the left forearm would be less than the full 9% allocated for an entire arm. A professional assessment is needed for a precise calculation, but based on the rule of nines, the client is likely to have around 10-13% of their body surface area affected by burns.