BURNS
Have you ever had a burn in your life? Of course!!!We’ve all had burns at some point in time. It might have been a/an;
SCALD: Burns caused by steam and hot liquids.
ELECTRICAL BURN:
CHEMICAL BURN: Burns caused by corrosive acids or alkalis.
THERMAL BURN: Burns caused by dry heat such as fire or hot objects.
Whichever way it was, you should thank God for your life because except for minor ones, burns are potential life threatening emergencies. Most people who help burnt victims except well trained health workers, do not have any knowledge on first aid thus they do virtually all the ‘DONT’S’ of burn management and as a result they complicate matters and put the lives of patients at risk.
Every type of burn has its own management. For example, you cannot treat an electrical burn the way you would to a scald. With major burns, casulties usually go into shock which is mainly as a result of excessive loss of serum, a body fluid from the burnt area and also due to the excruciating pain they go through. If shock is left untreated, death results. Thus, knowing how to manage burns is extremely important because they are common, painful and can result in amputation of affected parts or in severe cases death. It will help save a life or probably yours.
Here’s how to manage the various kinds of burns. Pay close attention so you don’t get them mixed up!
SCALDS
· It’s advisable to take off the clothing of the casualty at once because the hot wet clothing will continue to burn the patient and cause more pain.
· Cool the burn. Gently pour cold water on the burn to soothe the affected area.
· Leave all blisters ( a swelling filled with serous fluid) intact, don’t break them otherwise they would serve as a portal of entry for infections and that would delay wound healing and may also cause further complications.
· Cover with sterile gauze and bandage or use a clean handkerchief or linen. Avoid using fluffy materials such as cotton wool, they would definitely soak up the exuding serum and eventually get stuck to the burn.
· Transport casualty to the hospital if further treatment is needed.
DRY BURNS
With dry burns such as those caused by fire. You must
· Instruct him or her to roll on the floor or cover casualty with a blanket or carpet to smother flames and roll him/her to extinguish the flames.
· Leave burnt clothing on.dry burnt clothing usually gets stuck to the patients skin thus in an attempt to remove it you would accidently peel off the skin and cause bleeding and more trauma.
· Gently pour cold water on the burn. Avoid using ice on the burn.
· Cover with clean linen,bandage lightly and transport casualty to the hospital.
ELECTRICAL BURNS
These are more life threatening, especially if they are extensive. You should act as quickly as possible because patient might go into shock.
· Insulate your hands with rubber gloves and wear rubber boots or slippers. Gently drag casualty from electrical source or simply turn off the mains, if only that is safe enough
· Don’t hit the patient with any object with the intention of moving him or her from the electrical source, the casualty may sustain severe injuries in the process. Avoid pouring cold water on the burn.
· Cover burn with clean dry linen and transport to the hospital immediately.
CHEMICAL BURNS
As we mentioned earlier, corrosive chemicals cause burns when they come into contact with the body. They are very dangerous especially if they get into the eye!
· If chemical should get into the eye, hold the head backwards and flush the chemical out of the eye by pouring plenty of cold running water on the eye for about 10 minutes.
· If the chemical is an acid, add two tablespoonfuls of sodium bicarbonate to a glass of water and pour on burnt area to neutralize the acid.
· On the other hand, if it’s an alkali, mix equal parts of domestic vinegar with equal parts of water and pour on affected area.
· Remove contaminated clothing if possible
· Transport the casualty to the hospital.
CAUTION
· Bandaging keeps air off the burn prevents infection and keeps blisters intact. When bandaging do so lightly, don’t put so much pressure on the wound otherwise blood flow would be obstructed and gangrene (cell death) would result.
· Don’t use ointments and lotions on the burn.
· Complications of burns include shock and infection thus; use only clean materials on the burn. To reduce risk of shock, elevate burnt parts above the heart to enhance blood flow to the brain and also control by – standers to allow the free flow of air around the patient. This reduces the rate at which the patient sweats in order not to lose more body fluids.
REFERENCES
ROSS AND WILSON
BY: LOIS APPIAH
