Burns

Ross Tilley Burn Centre

The Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is named after Dr. Ross Tilley, a Canadian surgeon and military physician who pioneered burn care and reconstructive surgery during World War II. Serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) medical service, he was instrumental in advancing burn treatment techniques while working alongside Sir Archibald McIndoe at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, UK. In recognition of his contributions, he was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

The RTBC officially opened on April 18, 1984, under the directorship of Dr. Walter J. Peters. In 1998, as part of healthcare restructuring, the RTBC transitioned from the Wellesley Central site of St. Michael’s Hospital to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Today, the RTBC remains Canada’s largest burn centre, serving as a hub for innovation, clinical excellence, and research in burn care. It is a self-contained unit, with 14 dedicated isolation beds (10 ICU, 4 ward), with offices, clinics, resuscitation area, and two operating rooms.

In 2023, Dr. Robert Cartotto was elected President of the American Burn Association, a fitting tribute to his career in principled, compassionate patient care, critical care excellence, commitment to education and meticulous acute and reconstructive burn surgery.

The Ross Tilley Burn Centre (RTBC) is the only adult burn program in Ontario providing a full spectrum of burn care, from emergency resuscitation and acute burn management to long-term rehabilitation and reconstructive surgery. Thirty percent of patients come from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), while 70% are referred from across Ontario. Patients with severe injuries may be are transferred from community hospitals via ambulance, fixed-wing aircraft, or helicopter, ensuring rapid access to specialized burn care.

RTBC Multidisciplinary Burn Team

• Burn surgeons (Drs. Alan Rogers, Stephanie Mason, and David Wallace)
• Nurses
• Physiotherapists & occupational therapists
• Respiratory therapists
• Dietitians
• Pharmacists
• Social workers

Beyond thermal burns, the RTBC provides specialized care for:

• Chemical burns
• Electrical injuries
• Frostbite
• Complex wounds & necrotizing soft tissue infections
• Severe exfoliative skin conditions (e.g., Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis)
• Traumatic deglovings

Treatment Modalities

• Critical care & resuscitation
• Acute surgical excision and skin grafting
• Reconstructive procedures, including:
  • Scar contracture releases
  • Tissue expansion
  • Flap reconstruction

The American Burn Association (ABA) has verified the RTBC since 2010, underscoring its commitment to excellence in patient care, outcomes, and research.

The centre is also a leader in burn education and surgical training, offering:

• Two international burn fellowships annually, attracting top-tier burn surgeons from around the world.
• Resident training from four universities, including the University of Toronto, where residents gain hands-on experience in acute and reconstructive burn surgery as well as the management of complex wounds.

The RTBC has a longstanding reputation for producing high-calibre research across the full spectrum of burn surgery, critical care, and wound healing. Research areas include:

• Metabolic modulation in burns
• Advanced wound healing techniques
• Inhalation injury management & ventilatory support
• Pain control & psychosocial recovery post-burn
• Reconstructive Surgery for Burns and Complex Wounds
• Quality Improvement
• Sepsis

The Hospital for Sick Children

Pediatric burn care is carried out by the multi-disciplinary burn team at the Hospital for Sick Children under the directorship of Dr. Joel Fish.

This program is to be congratulated in 2013 for their success in becoming the first pediatric burn program in Canada to receive full accreditation by the American Burn Association. The program receives 200 new burn cases annually and is the busiest pediatric burn centre in the country. In 2009, a paradigm shift in burn care occurred with the hiring of a full time burn surgeon and the appointment of a clinical nurse practitioner specializing in burn care. This approach has changed the management of pediatric burns from an intense daily dressing painful approach to a heavy dependence on out-patient care with revolutionary dressings that can be changed every 5 to 7 days. This has made a huge impact on patient satisfaction in addition to cost savings. Current advanced therapy is available for closed technique for dressings and the recent introduction of a laser therapy program for burn scar management. Outreach programs include an active home and school visit program, partnership with local fire-fighters and multiple community events such as Family Burn Picnic and Burn Survivors Information sessions and a Butterfly Newsletter quarterly for survivors and families.

Fellowships in burn care are available at the Ross Tilley Burn Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre and the Hospital for Sick Children.