Patient with burn injuries to 96% of their body treated, discharged from Mississippi Burn, Hand and Reconstruction Center

• According to the center, the patient is the most severely burned patient to be treated in the facility’s history.

A patient who suffered burns to about 96% of their body was successfully treated and released from Mississippi Baptist Medical Center’s Mississippi Burn, Hand and Reconstruction Center.

According to the center, the patient is the most severely burned patient to be treated in the facility’s history, with 91% of the patient’s injuries being the most severe, third-degree burns the center as seen.

“This is the culmination of the intensive, intentional culture of collaboration cultivated at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. These results do not happen by accident. I am proud of every member of this patient’s care team,” said Dr. Derek Culnan, medical director of the burn center.

In addition to the burns, the patient also suffered inhalation injuries. As such, the patient was initially not expected to survive.

Yet, today, that patient was not only discharged, but they are walking and writing again. 

According to the American Burn Association, only 0.3% of all burn patients in a given decade suffer burns to more than 90% of their body, with less than 13% of those patients surviving.

“If knowing my story can give hope to people, I am glad,” the unnamed patient was quoted as saying. “I am lucky.”

The patient’s favorable outcome is due to the use of cutting edge technology in conjunction with the effective treatment provided by Dr. Culnan and staff at the medical center. 

“We are blessed to have gotten to work with you,” Dr. Culnan told the patient. “We are excited to continue to reconstruct you and help you reach your dreams. You are why we built this burn center for every Mississippian, and why we continue on our mission to build a world-class burn and reconstruction center here in Jackson, Mississippi.”

The Mississippi Burn, Hand and Reconstruction Center was established at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center after the closure of the burn center at Merit Health Central in 2022. Prior to that closure, Dr. Culnan and his staff provided burn care to Mississippians at Merit Health Central for decades.