Burning hands and first aid

The most common household injury is the burn of the hand. Most often, children suffer from burns. The reason for this can be both carelessness of the children themselves, and inattention to parents. Therefore, adults should be guided in the principles of first aid in getting burns, which will make it possible to relieve suffering for oneself and relatives in a timely manner.

Symptoms of Burns

There are a number of symptoms, the presence of which indicates a trauma resulting from a burn. Here it is worth highlighting:

• The presence of increasing, prolonged pain with reddening of the skin;
• The appearance on the skin of blisters with yellowish or transparent contents;
• Formation of wounds, necrosis, lesions of deep layers of skin and tissues.

Sunburn

To receive a burn of a hand or other parts of a body it is possible at long being in the open sun. Some people with especially delicate, sensitive skin to get a sunburn is enough to spend under the scorching rays about half an hour.

The main danger of sunburn is that a person does not immediately feel their presence to the touch or visually. There are unpleasant symptoms on the sunburned skin in just a few hours. Therefore, for a long time in the open space it is desirable to cover sensitive areas of the skin from direct sunlight, especially for babies. Moreover, do not rely on sun protection by applying special creams and lotions to the skin.

Chemical burn

Chemical burn of hands, feet, other parts of the body is an extremely dangerous tissue damage. Depending on the nature of the chemical substance, its properties, the affected area, strength, duration of exposure, it is possible that some visual and pain symptoms may manifest.

In the arsenal of modern housewives there is always a sufficient number of potentially dangerous chemicals that can cause a burn. Therefore, household chemicals should be stored in places inaccessible to children. However, if the baby has managed to gain access to a dangerous chemical substance, you need to know how to provide first aid to the child, which will be discussed further.

Acid burn

The effects of acids on tissues usually cause severe burns to the hands or other areas of the body. A strong symptom of such a burn is a strong, unbearable pain. Often, when a chemical burns with acid, a dead skin area quickly forms on the site of the lesion.

To determine the acid, the damage which led to a burn, it is enough to pay attention to the following signs:

• The skin acquires a blackish or dark gray shade - the action of sulfuric acid ;
• Bright orange or yellow skin color - nitric acid damage;
• Gray skin tone - burn with hydrochloric acid;
• Greenish shade of the skin - carbolic or acetic acid.

As for the first aid in getting burned with acids, in this case it is necessary, first of all, immediately to wash the place of damage by running water. And the procedure should be followed for 10-15 minutes before the pain decreases. Further on the affected area is superimposed a sterile gauze bandage. With the most serious, extensive acid burns, you should immediately contact the emergency department.

Burn with alkalis

Burning fingers, other parts of the skin with alkalis, as well as in the case of acids, causes severe pain. Recognize an alkaline burn can be on wet swollen tissues, covered with an uneven light crust. Often when burned with alkalis, along with visual and painful signs, there is the appearance of an increasing headache, poisoning of the body, attacks of nausea.

The first aid for burns with alkalis is a profuse, prolonged washing of the lesion under running water. A napkin or a cotton-gauze dressing impregnated with unconcentrated boric acid or table vinegar must be applied to the burn site . At the same time, it is obligatory to transport the victim to the nearest trauma center.

If the burn is caused by the fire of clothing

When a burn of the arm, leg or trunk is obtained by burning clothing, it is necessary to immediately extinguish the glowing or smoldering tissue particles. For this, a blanket, a coat, a raincoat or any other dense substance, capable of covering the main body, is thrown on the victim. It is desirable that the head remains open. Otherwise, the victim can additionally get poisoning with combustion products or burn the respiratory tract.

If possible, extinguish flammable clothing with water. Charred tissue must be removed or cut so as not to damage the burned skin. Having completed the above actions, it is necessary to urgently apply to the ambulance service.

Thermal burn

If the victim has overturned a boiling liquid, grabbed for a hot object or hit the fire, most importantly, do not panic, but act quickly and clearly. Activities aimed at first aid, do not suffer procrastination, especially when the delicate skin is injured, for example, a hand burn was received.

First aid for thermal burn involves:

1. Elimination of indirect or direct contact with boiling liquid, hot object. Also, it is necessary to prevent contact with the skin of any hot objects (bracelets, rings, clothes).
2. Creating conditions to reduce the temperature of the damaged skin with cold water, ice, etc. Overheated tissues can maintain high temperatures for a long time after getting burned, aggravating the nature of the injury. The cooling process of the affected tissues should last for at least half an hour. When the effect of severe burning occurs, the procedure should be repeated.
3. Overlay on the burned skin with a sterile bandage. If a hand is burned with boiling water, a dry or wet-drying bandage may be applied to alleviate unpleasant symptoms, as well as a moist or impregnated tissue. At the stage of first aid, it is not recommended to spend precious time searching for special medications to reduce symptoms and treat burns. On the contrary, it is necessary to immediately use the first suitable remedy, which was in the medicine cabinet. An effective option may be the imposition of a sterile dressing impregnated with a solution with antiseptic properties.
4. With the most serious burns that affected the deep layers of tissue, it is recommended the use of injections or preparations for internal administration with a pronounced analgesic effect.

Degrees of burns

If a burn is received, what should I do? First of all, it is necessary to try quickly, and most importantly - correctly, to evaluate the complexity and nature of the damage. To understand how to provide first aid and treat burns, you need to know that there are 4 separate degrees of burns:

1. The first degree is characterized by the appearance of noticeable reddening, minor swelling of the tissues at the site of the lesion.
2. The second degree is distinguished by the presence of opened or strained watery blisters, as well as the first signs of the formation of dead skin.
3. The third degree is a serious damage not only to the surface areas of the skin, but also deeper tissues, down to the muscle mass. Characterized by the presence of a pronounced scab. Often, when receiving such burns, the fluid bubbles cover the body areas around the lesion area.
4. The fourth degree is the most severe, deep tissue damage, often to the bone tissue. Such injuries are often accompanied by charring of the burnt surface.

It should be noted that in cases where a child's hand is burned, a severe shock condition may occur, the so-called burn disease. Often, this phenomenon occurs when more than 10% of the total body area is affected in the case of first-second degree burns and injuries of more than 5% of the area for serious third-fourth-degree burns. The emergence of signs of severe shock in the patient requires urgent medical care and further qualified treatment in a hospital.

Burning area

The greater the area of tissue subjected to thermal exposure, the higher the probability of serious injury. Even short-term exposure to boiling water on the surface of the skin entails serious consequences if an impressive area is burned.

The reason for seeking help from a specialist should be burns, whose diameter is more than 3 cm. In general, the danger must be evaluated according to the so-called rule of the nine. Anyone who burns more than 9% of the skin surface needs urgent hospitalization.

When should I see a doctor?

Doctor's consultation is required:

• When the child received only a small burn of the hand, which caused the appearance of a noticeable, persistent redness;
• If the burn is deep and extensive;
• With burns, starting with the second and third degree;
• If the injury is caused by the fire of clothing or a fire.

Preparations

There are a number of priority medicines that can remove the unpleasant consequences of burns and eliminate the problem. If a small hand burn is received, what should I do? In this case, the gel "Solcoseril" can be the most effective at the stage of rendering the first emergency aid. This drug improves the oxygen supply to damaged tissues, activates the production of collagen, accelerates the wound healing process , stimulates cell renewal and nourishes the skin.

First aid in cases where a hand was burned or another minor injury due to thermal exposure, first of all, is to remove the pain syndrome. As effective analgesics, "Analgin", "Ibuprofen", "Ketorolac", "Spazmalgon", "Citramon", "Paracetamol" are widely used at present.

After anesthesia, the affected tissue must be bandaged. To do this, sterile gauze dressings are often treated with "Diosept" or "Combixin", which are indicated for use in the preparation of burn injuries of varying severity and localization.

At the stage of treatment, the gel "Lincocele", the drug "Povidone-iodine", the ointment "Protselon", which treats sterile dressings or napkins can be used. These agents are widely available and available without a prescription.