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Burns Treatment - First Aid To Treat A Burns

Burns are one of the most common household injuries. A major burn is a horrifying injury, necessitating painful treatment and a long period of rehabilitation. It's often fatal or permanently disfiguring and incapacitating (both emotionally and physically). In the United States, about 2 million persons annually suffer burns. Of these, 300,000 are burned seriously and over 6,000 are fatalities, making burns this nation's third-leading cause of accidental death.

Causes of burns

Thermal burns, the most common type, are frequently the result of residential fires, motor vehicle accidents, playing with matches, improperly stored gasoline, space heater or electrical malfunctions, or arson. Other causes include improper handling of fire crackers, scalding accidents, and kitchen accidents (such as a child climbing on top of a stove or grabbing a hot iron). Burns in children are sometimes traced to parental abuse.

Chemical burns result from the contact, ingestion, inhalation, or injection of acids, alkalis, or vesicants. Electrical burns usually occur after contact with faulty electrical wiring or high voltage power lines or when electric cords are chewed (by young children). Friction or abrasion burns happen when the skin is rubbed harshly against a coarse surface. Sunburn, of course, follows excessive exposure to sunlight.

First aid home cure to treat burns

To give first aid at home to treat burn, apply cold water (not ice water) or compress immediately. The cold water eases the pain and reduces the amount of skin damage . Apply the cold for at least five minutes. For chemical burns to the mouth or eyes require immediate medical evaluation after thorough flushing with water. Electrical burns often result from small children playing with electrical outlets. If an electrical burn occurs, immediately disconnect the power source and pull the victim away from the source using a dry, non-metallic object such as a broom, rope, chair, or cushion. Don't use your bare hands. Here are some first aid home remedies to treat burn.

• If your skin burns made by fire or iron. It is enough to spread a coat of Nail-Varnish on the burn. Once dry, the film is going to prevent infections and stops immediately pain. Before to test it, it is necessary to make a toxicological search on the elements which compose the varnish, because these elements can pass in the blood.
• Squeeze the gel out of the Aloe leaf and rub on the affected area at least once a day until gone. The burn will both be relieved and will go away in a few days. Aloe works like a charm.
• Chemical burn treatment: Wash thoroughly the burnt area under running tap water for at least 30 minutes till the burning subsides.
• Apply fresh ginger juice or strong black tea to the burned area, using cotton balls or a compress.

The depth of damage to the skin and tissue and the size of the burn are importance factors in burn assessment

Depth of skin and tissue damage

A traditional method gauges burn depth by degrees, although most burns are a combination of different degrees and thickness.

• First-degree- Damage is limited to the epidermis, causing erythema and pain.
• Second-degree- The epidermis and part of the dermis are damaged, producing blisters and mild to moderate edema and pain.
• Third-degree - The epidermis and the dermis are damaged. No blisters appear, but white, brown, or black leathery tissue and thrombosed vessels are visible.
• Fourth-degree - Damage extends through deeply charred subcutaneous tissue to muscle and bone

Burn size

The size is usually expressed as the percentage of body surface area (BSA) covered by the burn. The Rule of Nines chart most commonly provides this estimate, although the Lund-Browder chart is more accurate because it allows for BSA changes with age. A correlation of the burn's depth and size permits an estimate of its severity.

• Major - third-degree burns on more than 10% of BSA; second-degree burns on more than 25% of adult BSA (more than 20% in children); burns of hands, face, feet, or genitalia; burns complicated by & actures or respiratory damage; electrical burns; all burns in poor­risk patients.
• Moderate - third-degree burns on 2% to 10% of BSA; second-degree burns on 15% to 25% of adult BSA (10% to 20% in children).
• Minor - third-degree burns on less than 2% of BSA; second-degree burns on less than 15% of adult BSA (10% in children).

Prevention tips for burn

• Keep matches, gasoline, lighters and all other flammable materials locked away and out of children's reach.
• Avoid sun exposure during hours of peak sun ray intensity.
• Install smoke alarms in your home on every level and in every sleeping area. Test them once a month, replace the batteries at least once a year (unless the batteries are designed for longer life), and replace the alarms every 10 years. Ten-year lithium alarms are also available and do not require an annual battery change.
• Cover unused electrical outlets with safety devices.
• Burns on the face, hands and feet should always be considered serious and should receive prompt medical attention.

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