The mother of a Tauranga man severely burned in an explosion at a Katikati home says her son is making good progress in his fight to overcome his injuries.
Barrie Gardner, 29, today remains in an induced coma in Middlemore Hospital's intensive care unit in Auckland. He has had four operations
since his accident, some lasting up to seven hours at a time.
"He's progressing really well, better than they expected," said his mother Lorraine Gardner. "But he's not out of danger yet."
Mrs Gardner is staying at Middlemore Hospital along with her son's partner, Serina Golder, 27, and the couple's eight-week-old baby girl, Tahlia.
Mr Gardner was badly injured on October 13 when fumes from paint thinner ignited while he was removing linoleum flooring at a house he owns in Katikati.
He was engulfed in a fireball and had to smash his way through a bathroom window in order to escape the blaze. He suffered severe burns to 80 per cent of his body.
Doctors treating Mr Gardner have told the family that if he survives, his burns will be some of the worst they have seen anyone overcome in 10 years.
Richard Wong She, clinical leader for burns at the National Burn Centre, Middlemore Hospital, said the reason burn injuries can be so life-threatening was that they affect the largest organ of the human body - the skin.
"Skin is vitally important in protecting the body from bacterial invasion, water loss and temperature regulation. These functions are all compromised by the burn injury," he said.
Dr Wong She said until the skin barrier is reformed, dressings and other artificial products need to perform the same function as the damaged skin.
He said with major burns, a patient would eventually undergo skin grafts to replace damaged tissue. He said recovery from such burns was a long process involving months and years of intense therapy.
"After the long battle for survival there is an even longer battle for recovery, which may be life-long."
