To start, we need to remember that severe burns scar for life. Burn patients are trauma patients. Burn injured patients can be very complex and expensive; recovery may take weeks, months, years, or recovery may be lifelong. Depending on the heat source, burns can inflict multiple forms of injury to the human body. This is because heat continues to destroy the surrounding and underlying tissues until the skin is cooled down.
Some key facts to remember about burns[1]:
- Burns are a global public health problem, accounting for an estimated 180,000 deaths annually.
- Non-fatal burns are a leading cause of morbidity, including prolonged hospitalization, disfigurement, and disability, often with resulting stigma and rejection.
- Burns are among the leading causes of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost in low and middle-income countries.
- Burns occur mainly in the home and workplace.
- Burns are the fifth most common cause of non-fatal childhood injuries.
- Burns are preventable.
So what are burns?
Burns are tissue damage resulting from heat, over-exposure to the sun or other radiation, or chemical or electrical contact. Burns can be minor medical problems or life-threatening emergencies.[2]
Burns are one of the most common household injuries, especially among children. The term “burn” means more than the burning sensation associated with the injury. Burns are characterized by severe skin damage that causes the affected skin cells to die.
Most people can recover from burns without serious health consequences, depending on the cause and degree of injury. However, severe burns require immediate emergency medical care to prevent complications and death.
Types of Burns
There are three primary types/degrees of burns according to their severity:
- First-degree burns (or superficial burns): affects only the outer layer of the skin (epidermis). It may cause redness, pain, and non-blistered skin.
- Second-degree burns: affects both the epidermis and the second layer of skin (dermis). It may cause swelling and red, white, or splotchy skin. Blisters may develop, and pain can be severe. Deep second-degree burns can cause scarring.
- Third-degree burns: Burned areas may be black, brown, or white. The skin may look leathery. Third-degree burns can destroy nerves, causing numbness. widespread thickness with a white, leathery appearance
There are also fourth-degree burns. This type of burn includes all of the third-degree burn symptoms and extends beyond the skin into tendons and bones.
How can you prevent burn injuries?[3]
The best way to prevent burn injuries is to improve awareness and educate those at risk in the domestic environment, mainly women and children. There are, however, some preventive steps recommended to reduce the risk of common household burns, such as:
- Never leave items cooking on the stove unattended.
- Turn pot handles toward the rear of the stove.
- Don’t carry or hold a child while cooking at the stove.
- Keep hot liquids out of the reach of children and pets.
- Keep electrical appliances away from water.
- Check the temperature of food before serving it to a child. Don’t heat a baby’s bottle in the microwave.
- Never cook while wearing loose-fitting clothes that could catch fire over the stove.
- If a small child is present, block their access to heat sources such as stoves, outdoor grills, fireplaces, and space heaters.
- Check for hot straps or buckles before placing a child in a car seat.
- Unplug irons and similar devices when not in use. Store them out of reach of small children.
- Cover unused electrical outlets with safety caps. Keep electrical cords and wires out of the way so that children can’t chew on them.
- If you smoke, never smoke in bed.
- Be sure you have working smoke detectors on each floor of your home. Check them and change their batteries at least once a year.
- Keep a fire extinguisher on every floor of your house.
- When using chemicals, always wear protective eyewear and clothing.
- Keep chemicals, lighters, and matches out of the reach of children. Use safety latches. And don’t use lighters that look like toys.
Set your water heater thermostat below 120F (48.9C) to prevent scalding, and always test bath water before placing a child in it.
How can you treat burn injuries?
As we all know, no matter how much we try to avoid it, accidents happen. Therefore we have to be ready to treat burn injuries quickly and effectively. And remember that when it comes to burn injuries, it is all about the patient and that burn injuries are time-critical: if uncontrolled heat continues to flow into the human skin, the depth of the burn damage will increase.
To halt the ongoing destruction of the human skin, two events must take place:
- The heat source must be managed effectively
- The now resident heat must be removed efficiently
The International Burn Care Directive guidelines are that a burn injury should be cooled with clean, cool running water for 20 minutes[4].
