Resuscitative Health Dictionary

Burns are injuries caused by dry heat, scalds by moist heat, but the two are similar in symptoms and treatment. Severe burns are also caused by contact with electric wires, and by the action of acids and other chemicals. The burn caused by chemicals di?ers from a burn by ?re only in the fact that the outcome is more favourable, because the chemical destroys the bacteria on the affected part(s) so that less suppuration follows.

Severe and extensive burns are most frequently produced by the clothes – for example, of a child – catching ?re. This applies especially to cotton garments, which blaze up quickly. It should be remembered that such a ?ame can immediately be extinguished by making the individual lie on the ?oor so that the ?ames are uppermost, and wrapping him or her in a rug, mat or blanket. As prevention is always better than cure, particular care should always be exercised with electric ?res and kettles or pots of boiling water in houses where there are young children or old people. Children’s clothes, and especially night-clothes, should be made of non-in?ammable material: pyjamas are also much safer than nightdresses.

Severe scalds are usually produced by escape of steam in boiler explosions. Cigarettes are a common cause of ?res and therefore of burns; people who have fallen asleep in bed or in a chair while smoking may set ?re to the bed or chair. Discarded, unextinguished cigarettes are another cause.

Degrees of burns Burns are referred to as either super?cial (or partial-thickness) burns, when there is su?cient skin tissue left to ensure regrowth of skin over the burned site; and deep (or full-thickness) burns, when the skin is totally destroyed and grafting will be necessary.

Symptoms Whilst many domestic burns are minor and insigni?cant, more severe burns and scalds can prove to be very dangerous to life. The main danger is due to SHOCK, which arises as a result of loss of ?uid from the circulating blood at the site of a serious burn. This loss of ?uid leads to a fall in the volume of the circulating blood. As the maintenance of an adequate blood volume is essential to life, the body attempts to compensate for this loss by withdrawing ?uid from the uninjured areas of the body into the circulation. If carried too far, however, this in turn begins to affect the viability of the body cells. As a sequel, essential body cells, such as those of the liver and kidneys, begin to suffer, and the liver and kidneys cease to function properly. This will show itself by the development of JAUNDICE and the appearance of albumin in the urine (see PROTEINURIA). In addition, the circulation begins to fail with a resultant lack of oxygen (see ANOXIA) in the tissues, and the victim becomes cyanosed (see CYANOSIS), restless and collapsed: in some cases, death ensues. In addition, there is a strong risk of infection occurring. This is the case with severe burns in particular, which leave a large raw surface exposed and very vulnerable to any micro-organisms. The combination of shock and infection can all too often be life-threatening unless expert treatment is immediately available.

The immediate outcome of a burn is largely determined by its extent. This is of more signi?cance than the depth of the burn. To assess the extent of a burn in relation to the surface of the body, what is known as the Rule of Nine has been evolved. The head and each arm cover 9 per cent of the body surface, whilst the front of the body, the back of the body, and each leg each cover 18 per cent, with the perineum (or crutch) accounting for the remaining 1 per cent. The greater the extent of the burn, the more seriously ill will the victim become from loss of ?uid from his or her circulation, and therefore the more prompt should be his or her removal to hospital for expert treatment. The depth of the burn, unless this is very great, is mainly of import when the question arises as to how much surgical treatment, including skin grafting, will be required.

Treatment This depends upon the severity of the burn. In the case of quite minor burns or scalds, all that may be necessary if they are seen immediately is to hold the part under cold running water until the pain is relieved. Cooling is one of the most e?ective ways of relieving the pain of a burn. If the burn involves the distal part of a limb – for example, the hand and forearm – one of the most e?ective ways of relieving pain is to immerse the burned part in lukewarm water and add cold water until the pain disappears. As the water warms and pain returns, more cold water is added. After some three to four hours, pain will not reappear on warming, and the burn may be dressed in the usual way. Thereafter a simple dressing (e.g. a piece of sterile gauze covered by cotton-wool, and on top of this a bandage or adhesive dressing) should be applied. The part should be kept at rest and the dressing kept quite dry until healing takes place. Blisters should be pierced with a sterile needle, but the skin should not be cut away. No ointment or oil should be applied, and an antiseptic is not usually necessary.

In slightly more severe burns or scalds, it is probably advisable to use some antiseptic dressing. These are the cases which should be taken to a doctor – whether a general practitioner, a factory doctor, or to a hospital Accident & Emergency department. There is still no general consensus of expert opinion as to the best ‘antiseptic’ to use. Among those recommended are CHLORHEXIDINE, and antibiotics such as BACITRACIN, NEOMYCIN and polymixin. An alternative is to use a Tulle Gras dressing which has been impregnated with a suitable antibiotic.

In the case of severe burns and scalds, the only sound rule is immediate removal to hospital. Unless there is any need for immediate resuscitation, such as arti?cial respiration, or attention to other injuries there may be, such as fractures or haemorrhage, nothing should be done on the spot to the patient except to make sure that s/he is as comfortable as possible and to keep them warm, and to cover the burn with a sterile (or clean) cloth such as a sheet, pillowcases, or towels wrung out in cold water. If pain is severe, morphine should be given – usually intravenously. Once the victim is in hospital, the primary decision is as to the extent of the burn, and whether or not a transfusion is necessary. If the burn is more than 9 per cent of the body surface in extent, a transfusion is called for. The precise treatment of the burn varies, but the essential is to prevent infection if this has not already occurred, or, if it has, to bring it under control as quickly as possible. The treatment of severe burns has made great advances, with quick transport to specialised burns units, modern resuscitative measures, the use of skin grafting and other arti?cial covering techniques and active rehabilitation programmes, o?ering victims a good chance of returning to normal life.

CHEMICAL BURNS Phenol or lysol can be washed o? promptly before they do much damage. Acid or alkali burns should be neutralised by washing them repeatedly with sodium bicarbonate or 1 per cent acetic acid, respectively. Alternatively, the following bu?er solution may be used for either acid or alkali burns: monobasic potassium phosphate (70 grams), dibasic sodium phosphate (70 grams) in 850 millilitres of water. (See also PHOSPHORUS BURNS.)... burns and scalds

A condition that needs urgent medical care. Examples include life-threatening injuries involving blood loss or damage to major organs, cardiac arrest or sudden loss of consciousness from, say, a blow or an epileptic ?t. Emergency is a term also applied to any resuscitative procedure that must be undertaken immediately – for instance, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (see APPENDIX 1: BASIC FIRST AID – Cardiac/respiratory arrest) or TRACHEOSTOMY. Patients with an emergency condition may initially be treated on the spot by suitably quali?ed paramedical sta? before being transported by road or air ambulance to a hospital Accident and Emergency department, also known as an A&E or Casualty department. These departments are sta?ed by doctors and nurses experienced in dealing with emergencies; their ?rst job when an emergency arrives is to conduct a TRIAGE assessment to decide the seriousness of the emergency and what priority the patient should be given in the context of other patients needing emergency care.

As their title shows, A&E departments (and the 999 and 112 telephone lines) are for patients who are genuine emergencies: namely, critical or life-threatening circumstances such as:

unconsciousness.

serious loss of blood.

suspected broken bones.

deep wound(s) such as a knife wound.

suspected heart attack.

di?culty in breathing.

suspected injury to brain, chest or abdominal organs.

•?ts. To help people decide which medical service is most appropriate for them (or someone they are caring for or helping), the following questions should be answered:

Could the symptoms be treated with an overthe-counter (OTC) medicine? If so, visit a pharmacist.

Does the situation seem urgent? If so, call NHS Direct or the GP for telephone advice, and a surgery appointment may be the best action.

Is the injured or ill person an obvious emergency (see above)? If so, go to the local A&E department or call 999 for an ambu

lance, and be ready to give the name of the person involved, a brief description of the emergency and the place where it has occurred.... emergency

Death caused by suffocation and hypoxia (lack of oxygen) associated with immersion in a fluid. Most often, the person inhales liquid into the lungs; sometimes, no liquid enters the lungs, a condition called dry drowning (see drowning, dry). People who are resuscitated after prolonged immersion are said to be victims of “near drowning”.

Initially, automatic contraction of a muscle at the entrance to the windpipe, a mechanism called the laryngeal reflex, prevents water from entering the lungs; instead it enters the oesophagus and stomach.

However, the laryngeal reflex impairs breathing and can quickly lead to hypoxia and to loss of consciousness.

If the person is buoyant at this point and floats face-up, his or her chances of survival are reasonable because the laryngeal reflex begins to relax and normal breathing may resume.

An ambulance should be called and the person’s medical condition assessed.

If breathing and/or the pulse is absent, resuscitative measures should be started (see artificial respiration; cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and continued until an ambulance or doctor arrives.

Victims can sometimes be resuscitated, despite a long period immersed in very cold water (which reduces the body’s oxygen needs) and the initial appearance of being dead.

In all cases of successful resuscitation, the person should be sent to a hospital.... drowning