What is a 6th degree burn?

Overview

A burn is defined as damage to the body tissues. Based on their depth and coverage area, burns are classified into different types. The most common types of burns are first, second, and third-degree. First-degree burns are the easiest as they damage only the skin's epidermis, and these burns heal themselves.  

 

However, as the degree increases, the burn becomes more severe, requiring treatment and might also prove fatal.

 

Sixth-degree burns are such severe burns that are usually fatal. The damage reaches the bone in these burns and might even char it. The body's shock and pain from these burns often result in death.

Common Causes of Sixth-Degree Burns

Some of the common causes of sixth-degree burns include the following:

 

• Fire wherein the body is exposed for a prolonged amount of time

• Explosion

• Exposure to radiation

• Car or a cooking-related accident

• Exposure to high voltage electricity
  

Symptoms of a Sixth-Degree Burn

In a 6th-degree burn, the skin, its layers, fat, and muscles are burned down. The bone is exposed and even burned. The bone is charred, and the surrounding tissues are also damaged. The bone is charred and the surrounding tissues are also damaged. The skin around the burn looks either white or black. 

 

Charing of the bone can be seen in other degrees of burns too. However, in such cases, the charring is mild or restricted to a limited area. Such charing can be treated as doctors remove the charred part and surrounding tissues to prevent any chance of infection. 

 

However, in a 6th-degree burn, the charing is severe and extensive. There is no treatment to remove the charred portion, given its extent. As such, sixth-degree burns prove fatal.

 

The body's nerves are damaged in 6th-degree burns, which eliminates the feeling of pain. However, given the severe burning, the body goes into shock. The shock restricts blood and oxygen circulation, and death results most often than not. 

Treatment Available for Sixth-Degree Burns

Unfortunately, sixth-degree burns are not treatable. Despite advancements in medical science, there’s no treatment for saving a victim who has suffered sixth-degree burns. Though doctors and medical practitioners might try to stabilise the victim, the sustained damage makes any form of treatment ineffective.  

 

In most cases, the diagnosis of sixth-degree burns happens only at the time of autopsy, i.e., after the individual has died. The coroner checks for the severity of the burn and then rules it as a sixth-degree burn.  

 

Having said that, if an individual does survive the burn, the treatment is similar to that of a fifth-degree burn. Skin grafting is the typical course of treatment for most types of burns. However, skin grafting wouldn’t work in the case of sixth-degree burns, as the area is too damaged to be salvaged. 

 

As such, the only treatment option is amputation. The damaged area should be severed from the body as it is unusable and cannot recover. It would also give the victim a chance to survive. However, the recovery post-amputation requires a long time. 

 

If different levels of burns are sustained in other areas of the body, common treatments include skin grafting and surgery.  

Conclusion

A sixth-degree burn is not a very common occurrence, and it occurs rarely, but it does occur. It might prove fatal, so you must take proper precautions and prepare yourself against any possible financial loss you or your family might suffer. 

 

Here is where a Burns Cover plan can come to your aid. The programme offers coverage of up to Rs.25,000 if you are hospitalised for treatments following a burn. Your family gets a lump sum benefit of Rs.10,000 in the unfortunate event of the accidental demise of a burn-related injury. The plan is available at an affordable premium of Rs. 177, inclusive of GST. 

 

So, protect your finances against the implications of a burn, whichever degree it might be. Also, remember, precaution is better than cure. So, stay protected and avoid any possibility of sixth-degree burns.