Individual Objective Three: Explain the Importance of the "Rule of Nines".
The "Rule of Nines" is used to estimate burn size. Measuring the size of a burn is difficult because every person varies in size and shape. To account for differences in size and shape, the burned surface is accounted as a percentage of the entire body. 9% is taken from the legs and added to the head of a child under 1-year-old. For each subsequent year, 1% is returned to the legs until 9 years old at which time the head is in proportion to the adult. The body has been divided into eleven sections:
- Head
- Right arm
- Left arm
- Chest
- Abdomen
- Upper back
- Lower back
- Right thigh
- Left thigh
- Right leg (below the knee)
- Left leg (below the knee)