A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; furthermore:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Burned area and determination of the burned body surface area (KOF) as a percentage of the KOF and its degree of burn
- Needle prick test (checking pain sensitivity) – to differentiate between grade 2 a and 2 b (see under sub-topic “Symptoms – complaints”).
- Auscultation (listening) of the heart [due topossible secondary disease: high-voltage trauma – cardiac arrhythmia due to the high voltage].
- Auscultation of the lungs [due topossible symptoms of inhalation trauma (caused by smoke inhalation):
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
- Tachypnea (breathing too fast)]
[due topossible sequelae: burn disease – severe organ dysfunction occurring as a result of severe burns, such as pulmonary dysfunction]
- Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen), etc.
- Inspection (viewing).
- Dermatological examination [due topossible secondary diseases:
- Hyper-/hypopigmentation
- Keloid (bulging scar)
- Wound infection]
- Urological examination [due topossible sequelae:High-voltage trauma – kidney failure due to voltageBurn disease – severe organ dysfunction occurring as a result of severe burns, such as kidney dysfunction]
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.