Thermal burns of the skin occur as a result of direct exposure to flame, hot gases and metals, radiant energy, hot liquids, steam. Conventionally, it is divided into two types: limited and extensive.
The latter affects 10% of the skin or more. Exceptionally severe burns occur, occupying a quarter of the surface of the body. If less than 10% of the skin is affected, death is extremely rare. The main cause of death in this injury is shock.
Thermal burn: symptoms
There is always intense pain in the affected area. Depending on the severity of skin damage, burns are of four degrees. At I there is a strong reddening. In grade II, blisters form on the skin. III degree is of two types: A and B. In the first case, the epidermis undergoes necrotic changes, and in the second, all layers of the skin are affected. At IV degree, deep-lying tissues die.
None of them goes unnoticed. Thermal burn I degree is the easiest.
But even he can be predictiveif half or more of the body surface is damaged. A II degree burn poses a threat when 1/3 of the skin is damaged, and III - if it burns more than a third. With severe and extensive damage, shock develops. Also, the state of the body as a whole, defined as a burn disease, is also disturbed for a long time. After shock, the following periods alternate: the entry of toxins into the blood, septic fever with complications, and recovery. With a burn disease, an additional load goes to the central nervous system, internal organs. If the trunk and head are injured, pleurisy and meningitis may develop.
Treatment for thermal burns
Of course, you need to immediately eliminate the factor that caused the injury. Remove clothing from the burnt area. But at the same time, it is impossible to tear off the adhering parts of it, they must be carefully cut off.
It is also forbidden to use creams, oils, ointments, urine, pierce the resulting blisters. Next, cool the damaged surface. For burns of the I-II degree, this is done with running water, pouring it over the wounds for a quarter of an hour, then applying a wet, clean bandage. With the defeat of III-IV degree, the bandage is applied immediately. The victim needs to be kept calm and wait for the ambulance to arrive.
Thermal burn in the eye area
It occurs as a result of high temperature exposure to the shell of the eyes. Most often, thermal eye burns are caused by steam, molten metal, flames, boiling water, or fat. He is rarely isolated. Basically this damagecombined with common burns of the face or other parts of the body. The clinical manifestation depends on the extent of the lesion.
Thermal burn in the eye area: first aid
It begins with the immediate removal of the remnants of the substance that caused the injury with a jet of water, tweezers or a cotton swab. If necessary, dicain solution is injected into the conjunctival sac and general anesthesia is performed. If the cornea is damaged, for the purpose of disinfection, a solution of chloramphenicol is instilled into the eyes and a synthomycin emulsion or tetracycline ointment is applied. Mandatory introduction of toxoid and anti-tetanus serum.
