S.C. burn unit closure means more business for Augusta hospital

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The closing of the Medical University of South Carolina&#39;s 10-bed adult burn unit this month will mean badly burned patients will have to go to an Augusta hospital for care. <br> <br> The burn unit will stop taking new patients Monday because the unit&#39;s surgeon, Dr. David Barillo, wants to focus on his specialty, plastic surgery, said Stuart Smith, executive director of the MUSC Hospital Authority, which runs the medical center and Charleston Memorial Hospital. <br> <br> ``The practical matter is, once David Barillo stops accepting burn patients, then we don&#39;t have a burn surgeon to take care of these patients,&#39;&#39; Smith said. ``We will stop accepting major burns in the future. We won&#39;t have the ability to accept those kinds of patients for a long period of time.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The hospital will continue to see most burn patients. But the most serious cases will be stabilized and transferred to another hospital, most likely the burn center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Ga., said Jerry Reves, the university&#39;s medical school dean. <br> <br> The burn unit&#39;s space will likely be used for the hospital&#39;s intensive care unit, Smith said. <br> <br> The decision does not affect pediatric burn patients, all of whom will continue to be seen at the Children&#39;s Hospital regardless of their severity. <br> <br> University officials said finances also played a part in the decision. The facility fills about half of its 10 beds on an average day, at best breaking even, Smith said. <br> <br> The burn unit would need 20 to 40 beds to run effectively, Smith said. <br> <br> Before it is reopened, the burn unit needs to be improved and expanded and the hospital just doesn&#39;t have the space, said Dr. Ray Greenberg, the university&#39;s president. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re not in a position to offer them the best care possible,&#39;&#39; Greenberg said of the burn patients. ``Really, what serves their interest is not for us to offer a lesser-quality program, but to get them into the best facility possible. Right now the best option is in Augusta.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A long-term decision on the future of the burn unit will be made once officials get further along on plans to build a new hospital, Greenberg said.