Singapore: Severe burn victims face operations and long, intensive rehab

Raybe Oh Siew Huey suffered severe burns on about 80 per cent of her body when she tried to save her boyfriend and their four friends from the fiery Tanjong Pagar car crash. - The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE, Feb 28 (The Straits Times/ANN): When a severely burnt patient is wheeled into the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Burn Centre, one of the first things emergency staff do is to pump air into the patient's lungs.

That is because if the airway is swollen shut, it can deprive the patient of oxygen, affecting the chances of survival.