What Is It?

Burns managed in the home health setting are typically partial thickness (second degree) burns that have received initial acute treatment and are now in the recovery phase. Home wound care focuses on wound bed preparation, moisture management, scar prevention, and monitoring for complications such as infection or conversion to deeper injury.

Signs & Symptoms to Look For

• Blistered or de-roofed skin with moist, pink wound bed

• Wound that is healing but requires consistent dressing management

• Hypersensitivity or pain at the wound site

• Surrounding skin tightness or early contracture formation

• Wound drainage requiring regular dressing changes

• Signs of infection — increasing redness, warmth, or purulent exudate

Risk Factors

• Extremes of age (very young or elderly)

• Diabetes and impaired healing

• Immunosuppression

• Large body surface area involvement

• Deep or circumferential burns (typically require hospitalization)

• Prior burn history with scar tissue

How Vertex Treats This Wound

• Gentle wound cleansing and advanced dressing application

• Moisture-retentive dressings to support epithelialization

• Antimicrobial dressings if infection risk is elevated

• Pain management coordination with care team

• Monitoring for signs of wound deepening or infection

• Referral for scar management and physical therapy coordination