Burn Center Care of Patients with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis

Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are rare, life-threatening, cutaneous drug reactions. Medications are the most common cause, although an infection may be responsible. A link between genetics and certain medications has been established. Clinical diagnosis should be confirmed with biopsy. When the area of epidermal detachment approaches 30%, burn center care is advisable. An ophthalmologist should be consulted to optimize ocular care. Pharmacologic interruption has been sought but there is little consensus on the most appropriate agent and no high-quality studies have been conducted to demonstrate if any of these agents lead to improved survival.