Central Ohio’s only adult burn center

The Ohio State Comprehensive Burn Center is the only adult burn center in central Ohio. Our team of specialists treats a variety of burns, ranging from minor to severe. We provide inpatient and outpatient care for burn wounds, complex burn management and serious skin conditions. More than 700 patients receive care at the OSU Burn Center each year.

We offer inpatient and outpatient services including:

  • Advanced dressing options to minimize pain, scarring and other complications
  • Wound care and complex wound management
  • Comprehensive care team to address the needs of patients and their families including the physical, mental, emotional and social aspects of burns extending beyond the walls of the hospital
  • Treatment for all burns, small to large with special emphasis on 
    • Third-degree burns
    • Burns to the face, hands, feet, genitalia, perineum and joints
    • Electrical burns and lightning strikes
    • Chemical burns
    • Burns in patients with comorbid conditions

Burn Center rehabilitation is provided at Dodd Hall Inpatient Rehabilitation, which has been ranked among the best in the country by U.S.News & World Report.

Also part of the Medical Center’s Level 1 Trauma Center, our burn center offers physical and occupational therapy, speech language therapy, social work, psychological, spiritual and nutritional services.


About Burns

A burn is damage to your body's tissues caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight or radiation. Scalds from hot liquids and steam, building fires and flammable liquids and gases are the most common causes of burns.

There are three types of burns:

  • First-degree burns damage only the outer layer of skin
  • Second-degree burns damage the outer layer and the layer underneath
  • Third-degree burns damage or destroy the deepest layer of skin and tissues underneath

Burns can cause swelling, blistering, scarring and, in serious cases, shock and even death. They also can lead to infections because they damage your skin's protective barrier. Antibiotic creams can prevent or treat infections. After a third-degree burn, you need skin or synthetic grafts to cover exposed tissue and encourage new skin to grow. First- and second-degree burns usually heal without grafts.

Other types of burns include inhalation injury, caused by breathing smoke, and tissue damage from cold injuries such as frost bite. The Burn Center also treats patients with exfoliative disease such as Stevens-Johnsons Disease and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS).

Source: NIH: National Institute of General Medical Sciences

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