Patient with burns to 96% of body discharged from Mississippi burn center

A patient who suffered burns to about 96% of their body has been treated and discharged from Mississippi Baptist Medical Center’s Mississippi Burn, Hand and Reconstruction Center, the center said.

The center said the case was the most severe in the facility’s history. It said about 91% of the patient’s injuries were third-degree burns and that the patient also suffered inhalation injuries. The center said the patient was initially not expected to survive but is now walking and writing again.

The American Burn Association says only 0.3% of burn patients in a decade suffer burns to more than 90% of their body, and fewer than 13% of those patients survive, the center noted.

“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,” Dr. Derek Culnan, medical director of the burn center, said. Dr. Culnan also told the patient, “We are blessed to have gotten to work with you. 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 unnamed patient said, “If knowing my story can give hope to people, I am glad. I am lucky,” according to the center. The center said the favorable outcome was due to use of cutting-edge technology combined with treatment by Dr. Culnan and his staff. The Mississippi Burn, Hand and Reconstruction Center was established at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center after the closure of Merit Health Central’s burn center in 2022, and the center said Dr. Culnan and his staff had provided burn care at Merit Health Central for decades.

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