American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) Practice Exam

What do third degree burns encompass?

1. Only the outer skin layer

2. Deep and through the entire skin, requiring skin grafting

3. Only muscle and tissue damage

4. Painful and affecting the epidermis only

The correct answer is: Deep and through the entire skin, requiring skin grafting

Third degree burns are characterized by deep tissue damage that extends through the entire thickness of the skin, which includes both the epidermis and dermis. This type of burn destroys the skin's receptors, often resulting in a loss of sensation in the burned area due to damage to nerve endings. As a consequence, third degree burns require medical intervention and are typically treated with skin grafting to promote healing and restore skin integrity. The other options do not accurately reflect the characteristics of third degree burns. For example, burns that only affect the outer skin layer pertain to first degree burns, which are superficial and result in redness without significant damage to deeper tissues. Additionally, stating that third degree burns result only in muscle and tissue damage mistakenly implies that the burn affects structures beneath the skin without involving the skin itself. Lastly, the description of third degree burns as painful and affecting the epidermis only is misleading, as the severe damage to the skin leads to a lack of sensation in the area due to nerve destruction.