What you should and should not do if you get burned

Apr 28, 2024 Dr Zulfikar Bux, Features / Columnists, News, Waterfalls Magazine

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Dr. Zulfikar Bux

Emergency Medicine Specialist

Waterfalls Magazine – Burns occur when someone gets exposed directly to a source of heat. This causes damage to skin, tissues and organs and can cause death if severe or not properly treated. Prompt and correct interventions are key in helping to save lives when it comes to burns. One can cause  more harm when trying to help if they do not know what they are doing. Today, I will share some tips on what to do and what you should avoid to help save the life of someone that is burned.

What are the main causes of burns?

Many things can cause a burn but below are the most common causes:

• Thermal sources are the most common causes of burns.
• Chemicals, such as cement, acids or drain cleaners.
• Radiation.
• Electricity.
• Sun (ultraviolet or UV light).

Thermal burns

A thermal burn is a type of burn resulting from making contact with heated objects or liquid, such as boiling water, steam, hot cooking oil, fire and hot objects. When a burn is caused by contact with hot liquid, it is called a scald. Hot water scalds are the most common type of thermal burn affecting children. In adults, thermal burns are most commonly caused by fire.

What do I do if someone has a thermal burn?

There are 3 key steps to follow if someone has a burn injury:

• Stop the burn.
• Cool the burn.
• Cover the burn.

1. Stop the burn

Remove the heat source from the person or the person from the heat source, whichever is easiest and safest. If any clothing is wet with hot liquid or a chemical splash, remove it quickly and carefully as part of stopping the burn. Do not remove clothes that are stuck to the burn.

2. Cool the burn

Immediately cool the affected area for up to 20 minutes using cool running water from a tap or shower. If there is no water, use any cool clean fluid that will not irritate the skin. The burned part can be put in a bowl or bucket of cold water if this is easier than pouring water over the burn. Remember to keep the person warm. A first aid burn gel may be used if water is not available. Remove any tight clothing, watches, rings or jewelry from the burned area, if possible, because of the risk of swelling and tightening.

3. Cover the burn

After cooling the injured area for up to 20 minutes, apply a sterile dressing. Use a dressing that doesn’t stick to the skin. Clean plastic kitchen wrap can be used as a temporary dressing. Cover the burn but don’t wrap the dressing around the area.

Electrical burns

An electrical burn is the result of electricity passing through the body. It may be caused by a number of sources of electricity, such as household current, power lines and lightning. The type of burn or damage depends on the amount, type and strength of the electrical current. An electric burn may appear minor or not show on the skin at all but may have caused more extensive internal injury.

If someone is suffering from electrical burns you should:

• Look first. Don’t touch. The person may still be in contact with the electrical source. Touching the person may pass the current through you.
• Turn off the source of electricity if possible. If not, move the source away from both you and the injured person using a non-conducting object made of cardboard, plastic or wood.
• Check for signs of life such as the person breathing, coughing or making any movement If they are not there, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately. Keep doing CPR until medical professionals can take over.
• If CPR is not required, prevent shock by lying the person down with the head slightly lower than the trunk and the legs elevated.
• Cover any burned areas with sterile dressings or temporarily with clean plastic kitchen wrap. Don’t use a blanket or towel. Loose fibers can stick to the burns.

Chemical burns

A chemical burn is a burn to internal or external organs of the body caused by a corrosive or caustic chemical substance that is a strong acid or alkali. Chemical burns are usually the result of an accident and can occur in the home, at school or, more commonly, at work, particularly in manufacturing plants that use large quantities of chemicals.

If someone has a chemical burn you should:

• Quickly remove any contaminated clothing.
• Avoid touching yourself or the person with the chemical as you do that.
• If the chemical is a powder, brush it off without touching it yourself and before flushing the burned area with water.
• Flood the burned area with lots of water and continue for at least 20 minutes. First aid for alkali burns can take up to an hour to return skin pH to normal.
• If a chemical solution has splashed into their eyes, hold the eyelids open so that water washes thoroughly under the lids to remove any trapped chemical.
• Get the person to a hospital immediately.

Sunburn

Sunburn is a burn to the skin caused by excess exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the sun. It can also be caused by other sources of UV, such as sun beds. Usually the skin is red and painful and may blister a little from sunburn.

If someone has severe sunburn:

• Run a cool shower or cool running water over the burn area for 20 minutes.
• Don’t burst large blisters.
• Use sunburn ointment for minor burns that are not severely blistered and have no broken skin.
• Drink plenty of fluid (non-alcoholic).

Common mistakes to avoid when someone is burned

You should avoid doing the following when treating someone who is burned:

• Don’t apply ice to the burn.
• Don’t try to remove fabric that is stuck to a burn.
• Don’t break blisters or remove peeled skin
• Don’t apply creams, ointments, lotions, toothpaste or butter to a burn. This will have to be removed later and may cause an infection and delay healing.
• Don’t put small children or babies in a cold bath or shower for a full 20 minutes. This can cause hypothermia.
• Don’t use adhesive tape on the skin around the burn because this may cause further tissue damage.

What are signs that one may be at imminent risk?

The following signs are indications that one may be at risk of organ damage or death from a burn:

• Burns that cover the hands, feet, face, groin, buttocks, a major joint or a large area of the body
• Deep burns, which means burns affecting all layers of the skin or even deeper tissues
• Burns that cause the skin to look leathery
• Burns that appear charred or have patches of black, brown or white
• Burns caused by chemicals or electricity
• Difficulty breathing or burns to the airway (nose, mouth or face)

Now that you have a better idea of what to do, the next time you encounter someone with burns, be sure to act fast and avoid pitfalls that may cause harm to you or the patient.

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• burns, damage, Dr. Zulfikar Bux, Emergency Medicine Specialist, source

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