Almost every person at least once in his life got into extreme situations or found himself in a life-threatening situation. As a result, you can get various injuries that cause significant harm to he alth. In the article we will analyze what burns are, types, degrees, help with such injuries.
What are burns
You can get such an injury even at home, not to mention production. A burn is damage to the skin that is caused by thermal, chemical, electrical, radiation exposure. In most cases, such damage affects the upper layers of the skin, but in serious situations, muscles, blood vessels and even bones can be affected.
If you wonder how to cure a burn, then the answer to it will depend on the degree and extent of the damage. In some cases, you can get by with home remedies, and sometimes you need serious specialized help.
Causes of burns
Burns can be caused by a variety of reasons, which are characterized by their manifestations and signs of damage. Can cause burns:
- thermal factors;
- chemical;
- electric current;
- radiation exposure;
- bacteria (so-called fire blight).
All of the above factors can affect to varying degrees, so the burn will have its own manifestations and require an individual approach to treatment.
Types of burns
The most common are thermal burns, that is, those resulting from exposure:
- Fire. Very often damaged upper respiratory tract, face. When damage to parts of the body is observed, the process of removing clothes from the burnt areas is a great difficulty.
- Boiling water. Almost everyone has experienced this. The area may be small, but the depth is significant.
- Couple. Such a defeat usually does not cause many problems.
- Hot Objects: These tend to leave sharp edges and deep lesions.
In a thermal burn, the degree of injury depends on several factors:
- temperature;
- exposure duration;
- degrees of thermal conductivity;
- general he alth and skin of the affected person.
Chemical burn is damage to the skin as a result of exposure to various aggressive substances, for example:
- acids (after such exposure, the damage is usually shallow).
- alkali;
- heavy metal s alts such as silver nitrate, zinc chloride, which most often cause superficial skin burns.
Electrical burns can result from contact with conductive materials. The current propagates quickly enough through the muscles, blood, cerebrospinal fluid. The danger to humans is exposure to more than 0.1 A.
A distinctive feature of the electric shock is the presence of an entry and exit point. This is the so-called current label. The affected area is usually small but deep.
Radiation burns may be related:
- With UV radiation. Such burns can easily be earned by lovers of sunbathing at noon. The area affected is usually large, but can often be managed with home remedies.
- With exposure to ionizing radiation. In this case, not only the skin is affected, but also neighboring organs and tissues.
- With infrared radiation. It often causes burns to the cornea, retina, and skin. The defeat depends on the duration of exposure to this negative factor.
And another type of burn is a bacterial burn, which can be caused by certain types of microorganisms. Severity also ranges from small nodular lesions to life-threatening conditions such as staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome.
Degrees of burns and their manifestations
Burns can be both very minor and such that urgent hospitalization is required. Depending on the complexity of the lesion, the consequences can also differ significantly from each other. There are several degrees of burn:
- First degree (I) is considered the easiest. With a lesion, redness of the skin area at the site of the burn is observed, a slight swelling. With such damage, only the superficial layers of the skin are affected, so there are no serious complications, special treatment is not required, and after a few days there is practically no trace of the burn.
- II degree is already more serious: there is pain in the burned area, redness, swelling. Due to the detachment of the epidermis, the formation of blisters can be observed. If you let them open on their own, then after about two weeks there is complete healing without any traces.
- III-A degree. With such a lesion, not only the epidermis is affected, but also partially hair follicles, glands located in the skin. Tissue death is observed, due to vascular changes, edema spreads to the entire thickness of the skin. A 3rd degree burn after itself forms a gray or light brown crust, but before that, blisters always appear, which can reach impressive sizes. Healing takes a long time and requires medical intervention.
- III–B degree. The burn captures all layers of the skin, including subcutaneous fat. Fluid-filled blisters form with blood streaks. Pain may be mild or completely absent. It is unlikely that you will be able to deal with such damage on your own.
- 4 degree burn. The most serious form. There is a lesion of all layers of the skin with the capture of muscles, tendons and even bones. A darkthe crust is almost black, venous vessels are visible through it. As a result of the lesion, the nerve endings are damaged, so the patient practically does not feel pain. The risk of intoxication and the development of various complications is very high.
Most often, a burn is not one degree, but a combination of several. The severity of the situation is also determined by the area affected. Depending on this, burns are:
- Extensive, in which more than 15% of the skin is affected.
- Not extensive.
If the burn is extensive and more than 25% of the skin is affected, then the likelihood of a burn disease is high.
What is burn disease?
The course of this complication and the severity depend on several factors:
- Age of the victim.
- Locations of the affected area.
- Degrees of burn.
- Area damage.
Burn disease in its development goes through the following stages:
1. Shock. It can last from several hours to several days, it all depends on the area of \u200b\u200bdamage. There are several degrees of shock:
- The first is characterized by burning pain, normal blood pressure and a heart rate of around 90 beats per minute.
- In the second degree, the heart beats even faster, pressure drops, body temperature drops, and a feeling of thirst appears.
- When more than 60% of the skin is affected, a 3rd degree of shock is observed. The condition is critical. The pulse is barely palpable, the pressure is low.
2. Burn toxemia. It occurs due to the effects of tissue breakdown products on the body. It usually comes ona few days after the lesion and lasts 1-2 weeks. At the same time, the person feels weakness, nausea, may be vomiting, fever.
3. Septicotoxemia. It starts on the 10th day and lasts for several weeks. An infection is noted. If the dynamics of treatment is negative, then it is fatal. This is observed if there was a 4th degree burn or a deep skin lesion.
5. Reconvalescence. Effective medical treatment ends with the healing of burn wounds and the restoration of the functioning of internal organs.
In order to prevent the development of a burn disease, it is necessary to take the victim of a burn to the hospital. Doctors will be able to assess the severity of the injuries and provide effective assistance.
First aid for burns
Whatever the cause of the burn, the first thing to do is:
- Remove the source of damage.
- Quickly cool the affected skin area.
- Treatment of burns and application of a sterile dressing.
- Relieve pain.
- Call an ambulance if needed.
It is very important not to get confused in the situation and eliminate the damaging factor as soon as possible or take the person to a safe place. This will depend on the degree of damage to the skin. Rapid cooling helps prevent damage to he althy tissue. If the burn is 3rd degree, then such a measure is not taken.
Depending on the damaging factor, first aid measures may have their own nuances. Consider themnext.
First aid for thermal burns
Almost everyone encounters such injuries in their lives, so you need to know how to help yourself or your loved ones in such a situation. Home care for this type of burn is as follows:
- As soon as possible eliminate the impact of the damaging factor, that is, remove from the fire zone, remove or extinguish burning clothes.
- If the burn is small, then it is necessary to cool the affected area under running water for 10-15 minutes, and then apply a clean, damp cloth.
- For more severe burns, there is no need to refrigerate, but cover the burn with a tissue.
- Remove decorations if possible.
- Take a pain reliever such as Ibuprofen, Paracetamol.
When thermal burns are prohibited:
- Tear off clothes if they are stuck to the wound.
- Blistering.
- Touch the affected areas.
- Smear the wounds with oil, cream, iodine, peroxide and other substances.
- You can not apply cotton, ice, plasters.
If the burn is severe, seek medical attention.
Chemical burn
Often, such lesions are obtained in chemical industries, but it can also be in a chemistry lesson if safety precautions are not followed. When exposed to a chemical, it must be quickly neutralized.
Help for chemical burns with acid is to treat the wound with a solution of soda or soapy water. If alkali is exposed, then you will have tofirst rinse thoroughly with water, and then treat with a 2% solution of acetic or citric acid.
If you get more serious chemical burns, you will have to seek help from specialists.
Help for electrical burns
You can get an electric shock at home or at work. First of all, it is necessary to neutralize the source of damage. Just do it with safety precautions. The wound must be covered with a napkin.
You can get a slight injury, and it will be enough to drink warm tea and give a sedative to the victim. In severe injuries, loss of consciousness may occur. In this case, you will have to resort to additional assistance measures:
- Find a comfortable position for the victim.
- Make sure there is an influx of fresh air.
- Free the airways from excess clothing.
- Turn your head to the side.
- Before the ambulance arrives, monitor your pulse and breathing.
- If the injury is so serious that cardiac arrest has occurred, then urgently need to do artificial respiration with indirect massage of the heart muscle.
It must be remembered that there are situations in which a person's life depends on the speed of first aid.
Radiation burns and first aid
You can get such damage under the influence of ultraviolet, infrared and radiation radiation. This type of burn differs significantly from the others in that tissue ionization occurs, which causes changes in the structure of the protein molecule.
Radiation burns have their own degrees of difficulty:
- First degree is characterized by redness, itching and burning.
- In the second degree, blisters appear.
- The third degree, in addition to the listed symptoms, includes tissue necrosis and the addition of complications.
When providing first aid after receiving a radiation burn is prohibited:
- To touch the wound with hands or apply non-sterile objects to it.
- If bubbles appear, then you can not pierce them.
- Use cosmetics to treat wounds.
- Apply ice. This can not only lead to frostbite, but also cause burn shock from a sharp temperature drop.
Eye burns
Eye burns can be caused by all the factors discussed above. Localization may be different, depending on this, they distinguish:
- corneal burn;
- century;
- retina;
- lens.
The degree of damage can vary, and while the first one is completely treatable at home and has a favorable outcome, then more serious injuries require a hospital stay, and the consequences can be the most deplorable.
Signs that will indicate an eye burn are as follows:
- Redness and swelling.
- Severe pain.
- Wearing.
- Fear of the light.
- Decrease in visual acuity.
- Change in intraocular pressure in any direction.
If radiation damage occurseye, some of the above symptoms may not appear.
In case of contact with the eyes of chemicals, immediately rinse them with running water for 15 minutes. Drip antiseptic drops, for example, "Floxal". Around the eyes, the skin can be lubricated, covered with a napkin and sent to the ophthalmologist.
Welding burn, which refers to radiation, may not appear immediately, but several hours after exposure. The characteristic signs of such a lesion are as follows:
- severe cutting pain in the eyes;
- lacrimation;
- a sharp decrease in vision;
- fear of bright light.
In case of damage to the eyes, assistance should be provided immediately. The effectiveness of the treatment will depend on this.
Treatment of burns
Since the severity of burns can vary, there are two types of treatment:
- conservative;
- operational.
The choice of therapies depends on several factors:
- total affected area;
- burn depth;
- location of injury;
- reason that provoked the burn;
- development of burn disease;
- age of victim.
If we consider the closed method of treating burns, then it is carried out by applying a dressing with a medicinal preparation to the wound. When there is a shallow and mild burn, then such a bandage does not even have to be changed often - the wound heals quickly.
In the presence of a second degree, ointments are applied to the burn site withantiseptic action, bactericidal ointments., for example, "Levomikol" or "Sylvatsin". They prevent the growth of bacteria. This dressing should be changed every two days.
For 3rd and 4th degree burns, a crust forms, so at first it is necessary to treat the area around with antiseptics, and after the crust disappears (and this usually happens after 2-3 weeks), bactericidal ointments can be used.
The closed method of treatment has its advantages and disadvantages. The first include the following:
- The bandage prevents infection from entering the wound.
- Protects the wound from mechanical damage.
- Drugs promote faster healing.
From the shortcomings, the following suggest themselves:
- Patient experiences discomfort when changing dressings.
- Dying tissues can provoke intoxication.
With a closed method of treatment, special techniques are used, for example, ultraviolet irradiation, bactericidal filters. They are usually available at specialist burn centers.
This method of treatment contributes to the rapid formation of a dry crust. Most often it is used for burns of the face, perineum, neck.
Surgical treatment
In some cases, when burns are of a large degree and capture large areas, one has to resort to surgical intervention. The following types are used:
- Necrotomy. The doctor cuts the scab toprovide blood supply to tissues. If this is not done, then necrosis may develop.
- Necrectomy. Most often done with burns of the 3rd degree in order to remove dead tissue. The wound is well cleaned, suppuration is prevented.
- Stage necrectomy. It is produced for deep burns and is more gentle compared to the previous method. Tissue removal is carried out in several passes.
- Amputation. The most severe cases: when treatment fails, the limb must be removed to prevent further spread of necrosis.
All methods of surgical intervention, except for the last one, then end with skin grafting. Most often, it is possible to transplant the patient's own skin taken from other sites.
Folk treatments for burns
Many are wondering how to cure a burn at home? As for damage to degrees 3 and 4, the issue is not even discussed here - treatment should be carried out only in a hospital. Lighter burns can be treated at home.
There are many proven methods of traditional healers, among them the following are the most popular and effective:
- If you get a sunburn, baking soda is great to deal with it.
- A compress of strong tea can also alleviate the condition of the victim.
- Prepare a composition from 1 tablespoon of starch and a glass of water and apply it several times a day to the affected areas.
- If you soak a gauze napkin with sea buckthorn oiland apply to the burn site, the healing will go faster.
- Some people think that a 2nd degree burn can be cured quickly with raw potatoes. It is necessary to apply fresh potato wedges every 3 minutes. Blisters will not appear if such treatment is started immediately after an injury.
- Prepare an ointment from 3 spoons of sunflower oil and 1 spoon of beeswax. Apply this composition should be 3-4 times a day.
It must be remembered that you can cope on your own without he alth consequences only with light burns. Serious injuries require medical attention.
Complications of burns
With any burn, not only the damage inspires concern, especially with a large area, but also an infection that can join at any time. Risk factors include the following cases:
- If more than 30% of the body area is affected.
- The burn captures all layers of the skin.
- Infancy and old age.
- Antibacterial resistance of the bacteria that caused the infection.
- Incorrect treatment and care of the wound.
- Rejection occurred after transplantation.
To reduce the likelihood of all complications, it is necessary to carry out treatment in specialized clinics. A burn is quite a serious injury, especially for children, who also receive severe psychological trauma.
The prognosis of burn treatment always depends on several factors, but the sooner the victim is taken to the clinic, the more effective the therapy will be, andrecovery will come faster and with minimal risk of complications. The consequences of a burn can be irreversible if timely assistance is not provided.
