William (Bill) Hickerson, MD
Retired Professor of Plastic Surgery. Founder and Director of Firefighters’ Burn Center at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis.
Dr. Hickerson, MD, is the medical director of the Firefighters Burn Center at Regional One Health. As a boy growing up in Nashville, he was badly burned when his shirt caught fire as he walked by the electric stove where his grandmother was boiling water. Dr. Hickerson completed his medical degree at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as well as residency programs for general surgery and plastics. He has authored more than thirty medical articles and abstracts about trauma, plastic surgery, skincare, and wound care and has given more than fifty invited lectures on the wound and burn care as far away as Israel and Japan. He is currently a Professor of Plastic Surgery at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Hickerson, a nationally known plastic surgeon, is returning to his roots in Tennessee. A graduate of the College of Medicine at UTHSC, Dr. Hickerson rose to the rank of professor of Surgery at the UT Health Science Center before leaving for the famed Joseph Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga., the largest private burn center in the United States.
Access Pro Medical
Access Pro Medical works with a carefully curated selection of partners and products to provide solutions to the burn, wound, and soft tissue reconstruction healthcare professionals.
Major Burn Injuries
Thermal injuries, although far fewer than other traumatic injuries, often require the most complex care from the acute injury through rehabilitation and return to work when feasible. The needs of these patients can be very expensive and lengthly. The aging process will influence the lifecare plan present and future to minimize cost and maximize functional abilities. A skilled team, knowledgeable in these areas, is paramount for progression to the best possible functional outcome. This presentation will focus on the priority of burn care, how subsequent care depends upon the patient’s co-morbidities, complications of acute burn care, and scar development. The need for surgical and non surgical care (along with timing of each) with therapy, compression garments, laser therapy, early vs late scar release with flaps, grafts, and skin substitutes all play a role in the care of these patients and will be discussed. The key to success is a functional team approach.