Burn Treatment Center saves Iowa man's life, to the benefit of many

When Dennis Forbes was on fire, his instincts screamed stop, drop, and roll. That was the first step to surviving his terrifying ordeal, and a large number of fellow burn victims and their families are forever grateful that he took it.

On March 7, 1999, Forbes, a resident of Lone Tree, Iowa, was working with chemicals at an area factory when a static electricity spark ignited the vapors, causing an explosion. "I was pretty much on fire," said Forbes, 50, who was the only person injured. "I dropped and rolled, and I don't remember too much after that."

Forbes was rushed to the Burn Treatment Center at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, one of the nation's premier burn facilities. The Center recently was re-verified as a Burn Center by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons and by the American Burn Association, and received a letter of commendation for its "continued commitment to excellence and its desire to provide high quality care to burn patients."

With severe burns over 70 percent of his body, many experts at the Burn Center initially weren't sure Forbes would survive. "All the burns were quite deep," said Lucy Wibbenmeyer, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, the admitting physician. "We were very worried about his pulmonary status. We had a difficult time ventilating him."

To prevent Forbes from dying of shock in the first 72 hours, the Burn Unit team stabilized his vital signs by supplying him with plenty of fluids. Then came wound closure: "We had to begin doing skin grafts as soon as possible," Wibbenmeyer said.

Skin grafting involves taking a shallow layer of skin (usually from the patient) from an uninjured area of the body and implanting it over the burned area, where cell damage prevents skin re-growth. "In a situation like that, it's important that skin grafts are started in the first week and then staged over the next few weeks so infection doesn't set in. We don't want the patient to lose a lot of ground," Wibbenmeyer said.

Gerald "Pat" Kealey, M.D., director of general surgery and of the Burn Treatment Center, performed Forbes' final six skin grafts after Wibbenmeyer did the first.

"It was a non-survivable wound without expert, comprehensive care, which in these situations includes nurses, physicians, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and dietitians," Kealey said. "Truly a multidisciplinary effort."

Forbes was unconscious much of the time in the weeks following the accident. But once the rehabilitation process was under way, he set aggressive goals to have more control over his recovery: He was supposed to be married June 19, and the wedding only had to be postponed until August 14; his future stepson's birthday was July 3, and he made sure his follow-up rehabilitation at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo was complete so he could be home for the special day.

Today, Forbes' year-and-a-half of steady rehabilitation has trickled to "off and on" status. He had minor modifications made to his home to accommodate a few physical limitations, but overall he can now "pretty much take care of himself." Because the accident left him with fewer sweat glands, he needed a controlled work environment and had to change jobs. Since May 2001, he has been employed by the University of Iowa Medical Laboratories in an area with a steady 68- to 78-degree cocoon.

If there can be a bright side to such an accident, it has come in the form of Forbes' newfound dedication to those with burn injuries and other afflictions or illnesses. In July 1999, Forbes' cousin, Karen Forbes, raised $2,000 to help with his care. Beginning in 2000, Forbes followed her example by raising money for the Unit's Miracle Burn Camp for children, and other causes. He raised $1,500 that year, $1,800 the next, more than $3,000 last year, and $8,000 in 2003.

"After going home from the hospital, I told my wife, Julie, 'This is something I want to do,'" Forbes said of his fundraising activities.

Jackie Heinle, Burn Treatment Center nurse manager, said, "Beyond being a huge supporter of our Burn Camp, Mr. Forbes also participates in our support group for burn survivors. We can call him any time and he will come by to visit other burn patients who have had similar experiences. He is a very good mentor."

Phyllis Chang, M.D., associate professor of surgery, said Forbes "maintains a very positive outlook in life, and this has helped immensely in the rate and degree of recovery that he's made." Chang, a plastic surgery specialist who called Forbes' injuries one of the more severe cases treated at UI Hospitals and Clinics, performed reconstructive surgeries on his face and neck between February 2000 and June 2002.

Forbes said, "You just don't know what the hospital can do for you until you actually need it. If I hadn't been so close to UI Hospitals and Clinics when the accident happened, I might not be here right now."

Tips on burn safety

A few precautions would go a long way toward preventing burn injuries. "The good news is that all of us can do something to reduce the toll on human lives that burn injuries take," said Lee Faucher, M.D., a surgeon in the Burn Treatment Center.

These include:

• Regular testing and replacement of batteries in smoke alarms
• Knowing what to do in the event of fire, including the "stop, drop, and roll" maneuver
• Supervising young children who are near hot water
• Setting home water heaters no higher than 120 degrees
• Using anti-scald devices such as scald guards, heat-sensitive devices that stop or interrupt water flow when it reaches an unsafe temperature
• Cooking on back burners in the presence of young children
• Turning pot handles back, away from the stove's edge
• Keeping all appliance cords coiled and away from counter edges