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What is the best way to deal with a burn
?
I won't be
near a tap - what should I do instead ?
What if the
burn looks "raw" or deep ?
What about
ice, a soothing cream or some pain killers ?
What should a
burns first aid kit include ?
Where can I buy
a first aid kit ?
My question
isn't answered on this page
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The most important thing is
to keep
the burn cool. This not only relieves a lot of the pain, but greatly
reduces the healing time. Cooling should continue during transport of the
patient to medical help.
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Soak lint-free
material in any cool clean water and place it gently on the burn. Replace
it with another soaked dressing as soon as it feels warm usually only a couple of
minutes. Keep doing this for at least 20 minutes.
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If
you don't change it often enough, it will hold the heat in and make the burn
worse. ( Remember don't use cold water or ice. See "Misconceptions".
) Cooling should continue during transport of the patient to medical
help.
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Dressings will stick
to damaged skin, so apply one soaked layer of thin clean cloth directly on the
burn, and leave it there. You can then run water over the dressing, or
apply and remove further layers of wet cloth to cool the area without disturbing
the burn itself. All burns like
this, no matter how small, should be seen by a qualified person.
After making the
patient safe and starting to cool the burn, the next most important thing is to
keep them warm and give them plenty of water to drink.
It
may seem strange, but many burns victims suffer from hypothermia ( = being
dangerously cold ), so while the burn is kept cool and wet, the rest of the
patient must be kept warm and dry ( remove wet
clothes and cover with a blanket ).
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Starting the above steps within three
hours of a burn is beneficial*, and you have then done as much as you can to
help. It can be very hard to wait
for qualified assistance, but you may cause lasting harm if, for example, you
try to give pain relief or clean the burn. Take comfort from the fact that by
following the above advice you are doing the very best you can for the
patient.
We
are always learning more about the best treatment for burns, and advice on this
page is current for early 2003*.
"Burn cream" ( meaning all creams, ointments,
lotions, butter etc ) acts as an insulator to keep the heat in the burn, causing
the damage to spread deeper and wider.
It should never be applied as first aid.
Ice and very cold water causes blood vessels in the area to
shut down, making permanent damage much more likely.
Wet dressings must be changed very frequently if they
are to help and not harm. See "deeper
burns" above about protecting damaged skin.
"Fortifying drinks" ( including sweet tea, sports drinks,
alcohol etc ) may cause vomiting in a distressed patient and lead to serious
complications. Water is the safest and most beneficial drink to
give.
Pain relief should be given only by suitably
qualified people. Even paracetamol or aspirin can be dangerous for an injured
person, so it is better to wait, and to help the pain by cooling the wound as
above.
NO "Burn Cream" or anything similar ( see
"Misconceptions"
above )
Clean white lint-free cloths in a
Zip-Lock bag. An old sheet is ideal - cut or tear it into 20cm
squares. Avoid flannelette or stretchy material.
A
few ice-cream containers, or similar, for transferring water
NO "Burn Cream" ( it's worth repeating !
)
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There are many ready-made kits available
from Ambulance and Motoring organizations, as well as in some shops. Most
of these contain basic useful items, but the trade-off for convenience is that
you may be paying for things you will never need. If you buy one of these
kits, I suggest you add the above items and remove the burn
cream..
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If
you have more questions about First Aid for burns, or any other First Aid
questions, please contact your local hospital, your community nurse or doctor,
or the Ambulance Service. You may
like to do a First Aid course, or perhaps ask a qualified person to give a talk
to an interested group.
*Reference : McCormack, La Hei
and Martin: "First Aid Management of Minor Burns" MJA 2003; 178 :
31-33
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