First Aid for Burns.doc

FirstAidforBurns

HYPERLINK"http://www.healthylife.com"\t"AuthorURL"AmericanInstituteforPreventiveMedicine
Burnscanresultfromdryheat(fire),moistheat(steam,hotliquids),electricity,chemicals,andradiation(i.e.,sunlight).Treatmentforburnsdependson:
Thedepthoftheburn(whetheritisfirst,second,orthirddegree).
Howmuchareaofthebodyisaffected.
Thelocationoftheburn.
Firstdegreeburnsaffectonlytheouterskinlayer.Theareaappearsdry,red,andmildlyswollen.Afirstdegreeburnispainfulandsensitivetotouch.Mildsunburnandbriefcontactwithaheatsourcesuchasahotironareexamplesoffirstdegreeburns.Firstdegreeburnsshouldfeelbetterwithinadayortwo.Theyshouldhealinaboutaweekiftherearenootherproblems.HYPERLINK"http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=1782"\l"first#first"(See"FirstAidProceduresforFirstDegreeBurns".)
Seconddegreeburnsaffecttheskin'slowerlayersaswellastheouterskin.Theyarepainful,swollen,andshowrednessandblisters.Theskinalsodevelopsaweepy,waterysurface.Examplesofseconddegreeburnsareseveresunburn,burnscausedbyhotliquidsandaflashfromgasoline.Firstaidprocedurescanbeusedtotreatmanyseconddegreeburnsdependingontheirlocationandhowmuchareaisaffected.(SeeHYPERLINK"http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=1782"\l"questions#questions""QuestionstoAsk"andHYPERLINK"http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=1782"\l"second#second""FirstAidProceduresforSecondDegreeBurns".)
Thirddegreeburnsaffecttheouteranddeeperskinlayersaswellasanyunderlyingtissueandorgans.Theyappearblackandwhiteandcharred.Theskinisswollenandunderlyingtissueisoftenexposed.Thepainfeltwiththirddegreeburnsmaybelessthanwithfirstorseconddegreeburns.Therecanalsobenopainatallwhennerveendingsaredestroyed.Painmaybefeltaroundthemarginoftheaffectedarea,however.Thirddegreeburnsusuallyresultfromelectricshocks,burningclothes,severegasolinefiresandthelike.Theyalwaysrequireemergencytreatment.Theymayresultinhospitalizationandsometimesrequireskingrafts.