Thermal burn

Holidays in the country are unforgettable! Here you can find fresh air, the sun, shish kebabs or fish soup, and maybe plov cooked in a cauldron on fire… All this is very tasty, but what impressions! But! Do not forget: there is a chance of getting burned, or, as doctors say, getting a thermal burn.

Thermal burns are skin injuries that occur under the influence of steam and fire, due to exposure to high temperatures, hot liquids or objects. As a rule, an accident or improper handling of fire leads to a thermal burn. In the country, this can be a fire, a barbecue, a gas or electric stove, a hot kettle or a frying pan, boiling water, and so on.

What not to treat thermal burns

Doctors sometimes turn to patients who treat burns with the most exotic methods. Apply butter or vegetable oil, raw eggs, fat (pork, goose and even badger!), kefir and other sour milk.

– From the contents of the refrigerator, NOTHING can be applied and spread on the burn, experts warn. – Such help will only make it worse, the burn can go into the deeper layers of the skin.

It is not necessary to apply cosmetics to the burn, it is not advised to treat the burn even with hydrogen peroxide.

First aid for thermal burns

With a thermal burn, it is very important to correctly provide first aid. So, it is necessary:

• Remove clothing from burned area and cool with running water or an ice pack. Even if half an hour has passed since the injury, ice will still be appropriate. Keep at least 10-15 minutes. This will reduce the depth of the burn and swelling.
• If there is a first aid for burns, apply a thin layer.
• Bandage with a bandage, or a clean sheet.
• Give the victim 1 tablet of an antihistamine and pain medication.
• In no case should you open the bubbles that have appeared on the burn. This can lead to infection in the wound.
• Before the arrival of a doctor (if the victim needed medical help), give the victim hot tea, alkaline mineral water to drink.

When is it necessary to see a doctor?

There are situations when it is necessary to seek help from doctors, do not pull. In what cases should this be done for thermal burns?

• If it is a burn of the face, head or neck, and it has a large area. No need to wait until tomorrow, you need to call an ambulance or take the victim to the nearest hospital.
• The burn occupies a large area, equal in size to several (from 5 or more) palms of the victim, plus blisters have formed (in this case, if the wounds are in contact with clothing, dry sterile wipes should be laid before the doctor arrives).
• If the victim is a child or an elderly person.
• If both limbs are burned, the inguinal region.

Rules of the palm and “nines”: degrees of thermal burns

With extensive skin lesions, it is important to determine the percentage of body burns. How to do it?

“The “rule of nines” works here,” experts explain. – Head – 9%, arm – 9%, half of the body – 18%, leg – 18%. Also, in some cases, another method is used – the “rule of the palm”. The palm of a person is equal to approximately 1% of the surface of his body. A burn of more than 30% is considered extensive.

– If this is a serious burn, then treatment in special conditions, in a hospital, is necessary. The 3-4th day after receiving a thermal injury is considered the most difficult. At this time, the peak of intoxication of the body begins. At this time, the patient must be under medical supervision.

Prevention at home

The main prevention is compliance with safety regulations when handling fire, household appliances, hazardous substances and objects that can cause thermal burns.

If there are small children in the house or in the country with you, you need to be careful and monitor their movements and actions – especially when someone is cooking in the kitchen if a fire is lit. Older children should definitely be taught safety rules.

One of the most common situations: mother or grandmother turned away, and the child poured boiling water over himself from a mug, knocked over a pot of soup, grabbed a hot frying pan, approached an open fire, and so on. Place hot kettles and pots away from the edge so that the child does not reach.

And just in case, keep in the first-aid kit means from burns.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about the most dangerous types and localizations of burns, how to treat them and the possibility of home therapy with traumatologist Elena Kovalenko.