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Pharmacology · Chapter 6

Burn & Wound Antimicrobials: Pick the Right Topical

A burn has no blood supply left in the dead tissue, so IV antibiotics never arrive — the drug has to be laid on top and travel down. Each agent trades depth against a price: pain, a falling white count, an acidosis, or an electrolyte leak. Tap an agent to see how deep it reaches and what it costs.

A burn wound in cross-section

At a glance

Eschar—
Pain—
Stains—
Monitor—
Six topical agentstap one to begin
Tap a scenario to test yourself — tap it again to return to exploring.
Why topical at all?Full-thickness burn eschar is dead, avascular tissue. Systemic antibiotics are carried by blood, so they stop at the living margin and never reach the bacteria colonizing the eschar. That is why burn care runs on topical antimicrobials — and why how far a drug penetrates is the first question you ask about one.