Major/Critical Burns criteria for adults and children?

• A. ≥15 years with 2nd or 3rd degree burns ≥20% TBSA; ≤14 years with burns ≥10% TBSA
• B. ≥18 years with any burn ≥5% TBSA
• C. Any burn to the face
• D. Only third-degree burns are major

Answer: (A)

Major burn criteria hinge on age and the amount of body surface burned. The correct approach uses age-based TBSA thresholds: for people 15 years and older, a second- or third-degree burn involving 20% or more of the total body surface area is considered major; for children 14 years and younger, burns involving 10% or more TBSA are major. This reflects how risk and resource needs differ between adults and children. The other options don’t fit because a blanket threshold like ≥5% TBSA for adults is too low, a burn to the face isn’t automatically major without considering TBSA and airway risk, and restricting major to only third-degree burns ignores substantial second-degree burns that meet the major criteria.