The stage refers to the degree of a deep burn. Burns: types of burns and degrees, treatment of burns with a keeper balm. Closed burn treatment

A burn is damage to the tissue of the human body due to external influences. Several factors can be attributed to external influences. For example, a thermal burn is a burn that occurs as a result of exposure to hot liquids or steam, very hot objects.

Electric burn - with such a burn, internal organs are also affected by an electromagnetic field.

Chemical burns are those that occur due to the action of, for example, iodine, certain acid solutions - in general, various corrosive liquids.

If the burn is due to ultraviolet or infrared radiation, then this is a radiation burn.

There is a percentage of the degree of damage to the whole body. For the head, this is nine percent of the entire body. For each arm - also nine percent, chest - eighteen percent, each leg - eighteen percent and back - also eighteen percent.

Such a division by the percentage of damaged tissues to healthy ones allows you to quickly assess the patient's condition and correctly draw a conclusion whether it is possible to save a person.

Degrees of burns

The classification of burns by degree is of great importance. Such a division is necessary in order to standardize the scope of therapeutic measures for varying degrees of burns. The classification is based on the possibility of reverse development of changes in a natural way without the use of surgical interventions.

The main zone that determines the regenerative abilities of the affected skin is the preserved germinal part and the microvasculature. If they are affected, early active surgical measures are indicated in the burn wound, since its independent healing is impossible or takes a long time with the formation of a rough scar and a cosmetic defect.

According to the depth of tissue damage, burns are divided into four degrees.

A 1st degree burn is characterized by redness and slight swelling of the skin. Usually recovery in these cases occurs on the fourth or fifth day.

A 2nd degree burn is the appearance of blisters on reddened skin that may not form immediately. Burn blisters are filled with a clear yellowish liquid; when they burst, a bright red, painful surface of the germ layer of the skin is exposed. Healing, if an infection has joined the wound, occurs within ten to fifteen days without scarring.

3rd degree burn - necrosis of the skin with the formation of a gray or black scab.

4th degree burn - necrosis and even charring of not only the skin, but also deeper lying tissues - muscles, tendons and even bones. Dead tissue partially melts and is torn off within a few weeks. Healing is very slow. In place of deep burns, rough scars often form, which, when burned on the face, neck and joints, lead to disfigurement. On the neck and in the area of the joints, as a rule, cicatricial contractures are formed.

This classification is unified throughout the world and is used for almost all types of burns, regardless of the cause of their occurrence (thermal, chemical, radiation). Its convenience and practicality are so obvious that even a person who is not familiar with medicine can easily figure it out.

The basis for the development of pathological changes and clinical manifestations of various degrees of burns is the direct destruction of skin elements by high temperatures. The second component is circulatory disorders in neighboring areas, which play a major role in aggravating the extent and area of damage over time.

A characteristic feature of burn injuries is the increase in these indicators in comparison with the initial ones. It is possible to estimate the true volumes of the burn only on the next day after it was received. By this time, there is a clear restriction of living and dead tissues, although the zone of microcirculatory disorders remains. For her, and is the main treatment struggle.

Pathologically, it is represented by damage to the most functionally insignificant upper layer of the skin - the epidermal layer. This zone is subject to permanent replacement under normal conditions. In a healthy person, millions of epidermal cells are exfoliated during the day. Usually the causes of such a burn can be the sun's rays, hot liquids, weak acids and alkalis. Therefore, such a burn is not accompanied by pronounced structural changes in the affected skin. Microcirculatory disorders are also minimal, which underlies the formation of clinical manifestations.

Signs of a first-degree burn of the skin are reduced to redness (hyperemia) of the affected areas, accompanied by moderate pain. Touching them causes an increase in burning sensation. Edema is moderately expressed or absent at all, depending on the area of the burn. No other manifestations are observed.

First-degree burns are often limited. Widespread isolated superficial lesions are rare and usually associated with deeper lesions. There is no danger of developing a burn disease in case of damage to the epidermis, which is reflected in the minimum amount of therapeutic measures.

Healing of the affected surface with burns of the 1st degree occurs within a few days. The course of the process is characterized by gradual drying and wrinkling of the damaged epidermal layer. Then there is its rejection in the form of peeling. Full recovery takes a little over one week. Rough scars and cosmetic defects, even in the face area, do not remain.

Such burns are characterized by damage to the deeper layers of the skin and moderately pronounced microcirculation disorders in the affected area and adjacent areas. This type of damage occurs most often and is characterized by a relatively favorable course even with large burn areas.

The epidermis and superficial zones of the dermis, up to the papillary layer, are destroyed. Its significance lies in the fact that the bulk of the capillaries and nerve endings pass here, which forms the clinical manifestations of a burn of the 2nd degree. These structures remain intact. Only their function is temporarily impaired with intact pain sensitivity.

The clinical description of such a burn is the formation of blisters of various sizes and areas filled with a clear straw-yellow liquid. Surrounding skin may be reddened or unchanged. Their formation is possible due to the fact that the dead epidermis forms a cavity, which is filled with plasma (the liquid part of the blood) through dilated, partially altered microvessels. The victims are worried about burning pains that persist for several hours after receiving a burn. Any touch increases the pain. The tissues in the affected area and adjacent areas are edematous.

Second degree burns heal on their own, leaving behind reddened areas that eventually acquire a natural shade and do not stand out among healthy ones. The process of complete restoration of damaged tissues takes, on average, about two weeks. Small burns do not cause any danger in terms of burn disease.

But if their surface is large enough, there is a threat of infection and dehydration, which requires appropriate specialized medical care. It is limited to infusion therapy and antibiotic prophylaxis. All active surgical interventions on the burn surface are reduced to piercing or cutting blisters with fluid evacuation under aseptic conditions.

Sometimes there are controversial issues in determining the degree of burns and conducting differential diagnosis between burns of 2 and 3 degrees. After all, both those and others are manifested by bubbles. But here the key role belongs to the preservation of pain sensitivity when touching the burned surface. If present, it is a second degree burn.

Describing this type of burn, it should be noted that it is divided into two subspecies. The need for this arose due to the fact that the deep layers of the dermis have certain features that are also significant in determining treatment tactics. In general, a 3rd degree burn characterizes a complete lesion of the entire thickness of the skin, up to the subcutaneous tissue.

Consequently, its complete independent recovery becomes impossible. Microcirculatory disorders in the adjacent areas are so pronounced that they can often turn into 2nd degree burns over time.

In terms of the risk of developing a burn disease, this degree of damage is in a very important place. This is due to the fact that burns of this type are often extensive, spreading over a large area. Large volumes of dead tissue and wound surfaces formed in their place. These features lead to the fact that all decay products are actively absorbed into the blood, causing severe intoxication.

Accordingly, the possibility of infection of such burns with the development of a septic condition remains high. Recovery of the skin can take several months and in most cases requires surgical intervention. Such damage leaves behind rough scars, which can cause cosmetic defects.

Clinical manifestations determine the division of a 3rd degree burn into two subspecies:

3a degree - damage to the dermis, including the papillary layer. Only the deepest parts of it remain intact, in which the appendages of the skin (hair follicles and sebaceous glands) are laid. This fact determines the possibility of self-healing of small burns due to granulation and marginal epithelization from surrounding healthy areas;

3b degree - damage to all elements of the skin, including adnexal formations. This makes it impossible to restore it independently, since the underlying subcutaneous fatty tissue does not have this ability.

Burns of 1 and 2, as well as 3a degrees, are classified as superficial, due to the ability to self-heal. Determining the degree of a burn is not so difficult if you know what you need to pay attention to.

Criteria characterizing a 3rd degree burn can be distinguished as follows:

With burns 3a, various-sized blisters are formed, filled with a bloody liquid against the background of reddened surrounding tissues;

Wound defects with abundant serous-hemorrhagic (mucous-bloody) secretions, touching which does not cause pain;

3b degree burns are characterized by the formation of thick-walled bloody blisters or dense scabs from dead skin;

Severe swelling and hyperemia of the surrounding skin;

General manifestations in the form of intoxication and dehydration (tachycardia, rapid breathing, drop in blood pressure, fever).

It is very important for such burns to hospitalize the victims in a specialized hospital, where early surgical treatment and appropriate medical correction will be carried out, which will prevent the development of a burn disease. It is very difficult to get patients out of the latter state. Therefore, with a given degree of burns, modern combustiologists recommend early surgical treatment with one-stage or staged plastics of burn wounds.

This type of burn is the most severe, regardless of the area affected. If it spreads within one segment, it can cause death of the patient or loss of a limb. As world practice shows, burns of the 4th degree of a local nature are mainly obtained by a flame or a hot object, being in a state of alcoholic or drug intoxication. Such burns are possible with chemical compounds of an acidic or alkaline nature. Electrical injury of the extremities often takes the form of burns of the hand and forearm of the 4th degree, manifested by complete charring of the fingers.

Morphologically, this type of damage is deep. All layers of the skin and underlying tissues can be destroyed: the subcutaneous fatty base, muscles, ligaments and tendons, bone formations, blood vessels and nerves. Perhaps the circular spread of these changes around the affected limb, which leads to the formation of a dense crust of necrotic tissues and causes compression of the preserved elements and disruption of adequate blood supply.

In terms of clinical manifestations, these burns cannot be confused with anything. In place of the destroyed tissues, a dense thick-walled scab of black or brown color is determined. The general condition of patients is disturbed up to shock and cerebral coma. If the burn area is large, then there is very little time to save a life. Circular damage is especially dangerous. A dense scab that forms a frame, with a progressive increase in tissue edema, becomes a barrier to their stretching, which leads to their compression and loss of chances for salvation. The most relevant is chest compression, which leads to a violation of vital functions and rapid death of the victims in case of failure to provide specialized assistance.

In terms of the development of burn disease, with burns of the 4th degree, its manifestations can be traced from the first hours after they are received. If such burns are limited to small areas, the prognosis for a complete cure is favorable. This process may take several months. With extensive burns, if the victim survives, recovery lasts for many months or even years, since it requires numerous plastic surgeries to replace the formed defects.

The most important thing to remember is that you should not first of all look for an answer to the question about the degree of the burn. It is necessary to quickly and efficiently organize the provision of emergency measures and transportation of the patient to a medical facility, which often determine not only the extent of the lesion, but also the life of a person. Everything else must be entrusted to specialists in this matter who know the intricacies of a complex problem.

How to help the victim?

At home

The first step is to cool the skin. To do this, it is enough to lower the burned area of the body in cool water for 10-15 minutes. During this time, the pain will go away, and the redness will decrease. Just don't use ice! All you need is cold water.

After that, it is necessary to treat the skin with a special agent:

Panthenol (or any product that contains panthenol)

Ointment Bepanten

Ointment dermozin

Solcoseryl gel

Sulfargin

These funds can significantly reduce the burning force, accelerate the regeneration of the skin and quickly heal the burn itself. If these funds are not available at home, then the burned area of \u200b\u200bthe body can be smeared with raw egg white, aloe juice. Or you can make a poultice out of raw potatoes or pumpkins. You should not use such a popular method as oil and fatty creams. This method really relieves the initial pain, but it only gets worse later.

A thermal burn is damage to body tissues due to their contact with hot substances or objects: high-temperature liquid or steam, open flames, hot surfaces.

Skin injuries in the form of burns can be obtained both at home and at work with approximately the same frequency:

The most common are flame burns 50-70%,
scalding with liquids or steam occurs in 20% of all burns,
exposure to hot objects accounts for 10%.

There are 4 degrees of burn, based on data on the depth of penetration, temperature, time and area of its influence. Such a division is extremely important for choosing therapeutic measures and determining the prognosis for recovery after a burn.

Symptoms

Currently, four degrees are used in the classification of thermal burns on the skin, based on their spread deep into the tissues. In accordance with it, the features of a thermal burn are isolated.

Burns I - IIIA are called superficial, IIIB and IV - deep. Of course, the IV degree of thermal burn is the most unfavorable for the patient. However, a superficial lesion can become fatal with a large area of \u200b\u200bdamage.

How to determine the area of damage

Rule of nines. The area of each part of the body is equal to 9% or 18% of the total area, in total - 100%. The exception is the perineum, which takes up only 1%. Thus, the total percentage of burn spread throughout the body is calculated.
Palm rule. The area of the burn is compared with the area of the palm of the victim, taken as 1%. The counting principle is the same.
Vilyavin's schemes. Silhouettes of the human body on paper, divided into squares. A schematic representation of burns is applied to them and the percentage of the total area is also kept.

First aid

First aid measures for thermal burns should be carried out as soon as possible, preferably immediately after contact with a hot object or scalding:

Be sure to protect the victim by eliminating the source of the burn - extinguish an open flame, turn off hot electrical appliances, remove as much as possible from heated steam or liquid. It is especially important to extinguish the flame that has engulfed clothing directly on a person by throwing it off, filling it with water or fire extinguisher foam, and covering it with sand or snow. In case of exposure to sunlight, move it to the shade.
Try to calm the people around you and, most importantly, the victim himself. Consistently find out the circumstances of the thermal injury.
Do not touch the wound and do not separate pieces of clothing, earth stuck to the burn, do not pierce blisters, etc.
Cool the burnt skin areas with a stream of cold running water or in a container of clean cool water for 15-20 minutes. This is necessary because the heated tissues continue to be damaged even after the source of the burn has been removed. The use of an ice pack is undesirable, you can bring the situation to frostbite.
Do not lubricate the injury area with sunflower oil, fermented milk products, alcohol tinctures. Do not cover the burn with plant leaves.
Prevent bacteria from entering the burn wound by applying an aseptic bandage to it - a clean, dry bandage or gauze that completely covers the edges of the defect. The use of cotton wool is unacceptable: it will certainly remain on the burned fabrics in the form of thin adherent villi.
The measure of first aid for burns on the limbs is their immobilization (restriction of movements). Use any means at hand - boards, wide beams, narrow sheets of plywood, etc.
Anesthetize the victim with any available drug:
- Ibuprofen - 20-50 r.
- Nise (nimesulide) - 220 rubles.
- Nurofen - 80-100 r.
- Analgin - 10-50 r.
- Baralgin - 200-220 r.
- Ketanov - 60-200 rubles.
In case of burn shock (severe weakness and pallor, drop in blood pressure, rapid pulse, respiratory rhythm disturbance, cold sticky sweat), it is necessary to give plenty of fluids and warm the victim.
Call an ambulance to hospitalize a patient with severe burns to a specialized clinic or department of a general hospital.

Usually, first aid to a person who has received a thermal burn is provided by people around who are not medical workers. The recovery of the victim depends on the knowledge of the exact actions in such a situation and their speed. With a first-degree thermal burn with a small spread, first aid does not include calling an ambulance team; you can cure it yourself.

Treatment

Methods for the treatment of thermal burns are divided into:

local (related directly to the burn site);
general (correct violations at the level of the whole organism).

In turn, local methods are represented by conservative and operative procedures, whose choice depends on the degree of burn.

Local treatment

It is usually not possible to visually consider the differences for II and IIIA burns, therefore, conditionally, they should be combined into II degree, and IIIB - into III. This is also necessary to simplify the understanding of therapeutic actions.

With superficial burns of a small area, measures begin with the “toilet” of the wound. It is carried out very carefully, in a state of anesthesia. The skin around the burn wound is disinfected with an antiseptic solution (chlorhexidine), dirt is removed.

Heavily contaminated wounds are cleaned with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Large layers of exfoliated epidermis, on the contrary, are left: after that they become a kind of “natural bandage” for a burn. Next, choose one of the conservative methods of wound management - open or closed (under a bandage with drugs).

Currently, the closed method is more commonly used:

For a thermal burn of the 1st degree, a single dressing with a water-soluble ointment with an antibacterial effect is sufficient:
- Levomekol - 100-150 rubles.
- Levosin - 70-100 r.
- Betadine (betidine ointment) - 250-300 r.
With thermal burns of the 2nd degree, 2-3 dressings should be carried out after 3-4 days, using the same preparations. The main goal of burn therapy is to achieve the fastest healing of the epithelium both in the area of the blisters and under the crusts. To do this, in addition, wet-drying dressings with antiseptics are applied:
- Furacillin - 30-50 r.
- Chlorhexidine - 15-30 r.
- Boric acid - 50 r.
- Yodopirone - 140-200 r.
In the treatment of thermal burns of the 3rd degree and 4th degree, the main task is to accelerate the rejection of dead tissues. The change of wet dressings with antiseptics is increased up to 1 time in 2 days. Especially effective is Mafenide (Sulfamilon hydrochloride), which is able to penetrate dead masses in the wound and act on bacteria under the epidermis. Also for 5-8 days, necrolytic preparations are needed that directly destroy the zones of necrosis:
- 40% salicylic ointment - 30 r.
- Mozoil (benzoic acid combined with petroleum jelly and salicylic acid).

To increase the effectiveness of therapy, dressings are supplemented with a small surgical removal of necrotic tissue. Complete closure of the defect can be achieved using water-soluble ointments and skin grafting - one of the types of surgical treatment of burns.

With an open method of wound management, doctors achieve a rapid increase in a dry crust - a scab - which will be a natural "barrier" to infection. Effective:

Drying effect of air.
Ultraviolet.
5% potassium permanganate - 50 p.
Alcohol solution of brilliant green - 10-50 r.

Surgical treatment is mandatory for the correction of burns III and IV degrees of severity. It includes one of the options:

Simultaneous dissection of burnt tissues to structures undamaged by the burn.
Simultaneous removal of all dead tissues with the imposition of "substitutes" of the skin - grafts - on the defect.
Skin plasty (with own muscles or healthy skin from other parts of the body) after conservative treatment of a burn.

General treatment

All activities are aimed at replenishing the disturbed functions of the body after the appearance of a thermal burn:

Pain management:
- Rest of the affected area of the body.
- The use of non-narcotic painkillers in tablets or in the form of injections (NSAIDs).
Supports the normal functioning of the heart and lungs.
Replenishment of the deficiency of the liquid part of the blood and elimination of intoxication by introducing a solution of sodium chloride.
Replenishment of deficiency of blood cells.
Prevention of infection by administering antibiotics, namely:
- Ceftriaxone - 20-50 r.
- Cefotaxime - 20-120 r.
- Ceftazidime - 80-130 r.
- Cefoperazone - 430-450 r.

The provision of medical care for thermal burns is carried out in special combustiological departments. All conditions are created there for the fastest healing of tissues: from air mattresses to a certain temperature in the wards.

Forecast

Burns from high temperatures are not as harmless as it seems at first glance. The prognosis for a particular victim depends on the depth and area of damage and is determined using the Frank index as one of the options:

favorable;
relatively favorable;
doubtful;
adverse.

Thermal burns in the elderly and in children are characterized by a large percentage of deaths. In other patients, critical are:

First degree burn with 100% spread throughout the body.
Thermal burns of the second and third degree with the defeat of 1/3 of the skin area.
Defeat of the third or fourth degree, affecting more than 15% of the surface of the limbs and torso or a burn in the perineum, face, neck.

Significantly worsens the prognosis of thermal burns of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and respiratory tract. Most often this happens with a sharp inhalation of hot steam.

Almost every person at least once in his life got into extreme situations or found himself in a life-threatening situation. As a result, you can get various injuries that cause significant harm to health. In the article we will analyze what degrees are, help with such injuries.

What are burns

You can get such an injury even at home, not to mention production. A burn is damage to the skin that is caused by thermal, chemical, electrical, radiation exposure. In most cases, such damage affects the upper layers of the skin, but in serious situations, muscles, blood vessels, and even bones can be affected.

If you ask yourself how to cure a burn, then the answer to it will depend on the degree and extent of the damage. In some cases, you can get by with home remedies, and sometimes serious specialized help is required.

Causes of burns

Burns can be caused by a variety of reasons, which are characterized by their manifestations and signs of damage. Burns can be caused by:

thermal factors;
chemical;
electricity;
radiation exposure;
bacteria (so-called bacterial burn).

All of these factors can affect to varying degrees, so the burn will have its own manifestations and require an individual approach to treatment.

Types of burns

The most common are thermal burns, that is, those that are obtained as a result of exposure to:

Fire. Very often damaged upper respiratory tract, face. When damage to parts of the body is observed, the process of removing clothes from the burnt areas is of great difficulty.
Boiling water. Almost everyone has experienced this. The area may be small, but the depth is significant.
Pair. Such a defeat usually does not cause many problems.
Hot objects: These tend to leave sharp edges and deep lesions.

With a thermal burn, the degree of damage depends on several factors:

temperature;
duration of exposure;
degree of thermal conductivity;
general health and skin condition of the victim.

A chemical burn is damage to the skin as a result of exposure to various aggressive substances, for example:

Electrical burns can result from contact with conductive materials. The current propagates quickly enough through the muscles, blood, cerebrospinal fluid. The danger to humans is exposure to more than 0.1 A.

A distinctive feature of an electrical lesion is the presence of an entry and exit point. This is the so-called current label. The affected area is usually small but deep.

Radiation burns can be associated with:

With ultraviolet light. Such burns can easily be earned by lovers of sunbathing at noon. The area affected is usually large, but can often be managed with home remedies.
With exposure to ionizing radiation. In this case, not only the skin is affected, but also neighboring organs and tissues.
With infrared light. It often causes burns to the cornea, retina, and skin. The defeat depends on the duration of exposure to this negative factor.

And another type of burn is a bacterial burn, which can be caused by certain types of microorganisms. The severity also varies from small nodular lesions to a condition that can even threaten a person's life, such as the development of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome.

Degrees of burns and their manifestation

Burns can be both very minor and such that urgent hospitalization is required. Depending on the complexity of the lesion, the consequences can also differ significantly from each other. There are several degrees of burns:

Most often, a burn is not one degree, but a combination of several. The severity of the situation is also determined by the area affected. Depending on this, burns are:

Extensive, in which more than 15% of the skin is affected.
Not extensive.

If the burn is extensive and more than 25% of the skin is affected, then the likelihood of a burn disease is high.

What is burn disease?

The course of this complication and severity depend on several factors:

The age of the victim.
Location of the affected area.
Burn degrees.
area of damage.

Burn disease in its development goes through the following stages:

1. Shock. It can last from several hours to several days, it all depends on the area of \u200b\u200bdamage. There are several degrees of shock:

The first is characterized by burning pain, normal pressure and the number of heartbeats within 90 beats per minute.
In the second degree, the heart contracts even more often, the pressure drops, the body temperature decreases, and a feeling of thirst appears.
If more than 60% of the skin is affected, grade 3 shock is observed. The pulse is barely palpable, the pressure is low.

2. Burn toxemia. It occurs due to the effects of tissue breakdown products on the body. It usually occurs a few days after the lesion and lasts 1-2 weeks. In this case, the person feels weakness, nausea, may be vomiting, fever.

3. Septicotoxemia. It starts on the 10th day and lasts for several weeks. An infection is noted. If the dynamics of treatment is negative, then it is fatal. This is observed if there was a 4th degree burn or a deep skin lesion.

5. Reconvalescence. Effective drug treatment ends with the healing of burn wounds and the restoration of the internal organs.

To prevent the development of a burn disease, it is necessary to deliver the victim of a burn to the hospital. Doctors will be able to assess the severity of the injuries and provide effective assistance.

First aid for burns

Regardless of the factor that caused the burn, the following steps must first be performed:

It is very important not to get confused in the situation and eliminate the damaging factor as soon as possible or take the person to a safe place. This will depend on the degree of damage to the skin. Rapid cooling helps prevent damage to healthy tissue. If the burn is 3rd degree, then such a measure is not performed.

Depending on the damaging factor, first aid measures may have their own nuances. Let's consider them further.

First aid for thermal burns

Almost everyone encounters such injuries in their lives, so you need to know how to help yourself or your loved ones in such a situation. Home care for burns of this type is as follows:

Eliminate the impact of the damaging factor as soon as possible, that is, remove from the fire zone, remove or extinguish burning clothing.
If the burn is small, then it is necessary to cool the affected area under running water for 10-15 minutes, and then apply a clean, damp cloth.
For more severe burns, refrigeration is not necessary, but the burn area should be covered with a tissue.
Remove jewelry if possible.
Take a pain reliever, such as Ibuprofen, Paracetamol.

In case of a thermal burn, it is prohibited:

Rip off clothing if it is stuck to the wound.
Break blisters.
Touch affected areas.
Smear the wounds with oil, cream, iodine, peroxide and other substances.
You can not apply cotton wool, ice, patches.

If the burn is severe, medical attention will be required.

chemical burn

Often such lesions are obtained in chemical industries, but it is also possible in a chemistry lesson if safety precautions are not followed. When exposed to a chemical substance, it is necessary to quickly neutralize its effect.

Help for chemical burns with acid is to treat the wound with a solution of soda or soapy water. If alkali is exposed, you will first have to rinse thoroughly with water, and then treat with a 2% solution of acetic or citric acid.

If you receive more serious chemical burns, you will have to seek help from specialists.

Help with electrical burns

You can get an electric shock at home or at work. First of all, it is necessary to neutralize the source of damage. Just do it with safety precautions. The wound must be covered with a napkin.

You can get a slight injury, and it will be enough to drink warm tea and give a sedative to the victim. In severe injuries, loss of consciousness may occur. In this case, you will have to resort to additional measures of assistance:

Find a comfortable position for the victim.
Make sure there is a supply of fresh air.
Clear the airways of excess clothing.
Turn your head to the side.
Before the arrival of the ambulance, monitor the pulse and breathing.
If the injury is so serious that cardiac arrest has occurred, then artificial respiration with an indirect massage of the heart muscle is urgently needed.

It must be remembered that there are situations in which a person's life depends on the speed of first aid.

Radiation burns and first aid

Such damage can be obtained under the influence of ultraviolet, infrared and radiation. This type of burns differs significantly from the others in that tissue ionization occurs, which causes changes in the structure of the protein molecule.

Radiation burns have their own degrees of complexity:

The first degree is characterized by redness, itching and burning.
In the second degree, blisters appear.
The third degree, in addition to the listed symptoms, includes tissue necrosis and the addition of complications.

When providing first aid after receiving a radiation burn, it is prohibited:

Touch the wound with your hands or apply non-sterile objects to it.
If bubbles appear, then they cannot be pierced.
Use cosmetics to treat wounds.
Apply ice. This can not only lead to frostbite, but also cause burn shock from a sharp temperature drop.

Eye burns

The cause of an eye burn can be all the factors that were discussed above. Localization may be different, depending on this, they distinguish:

retina;
lens.

The degree of damage can be different, and if the first one is quite treatable at home and has a favorable outcome, then more serious injuries require a hospital stay, and the consequences can be the most deplorable.

Signs that will indicate an eye burn are as follows:

Redness and swelling.
Strong pain sensations.
Lachrymation.
Fear of the world.
Decreased visual acuity.
Change in intraocular pressure in any direction.

If radiation has occurred, then some of the above signs may not appear.

In case of contact with the eyes of chemicals, it is necessary to urgently rinse them with running water for 15 minutes. Drip antiseptic drops, for example, "Floxal". Around the eyes, the skin can be lubricated, covered with a napkin and sent to the ophthalmologist.

A burn from welding, which refers to radiation, may not appear immediately, but several hours after exposure. The characteristic signs of such a lesion are as follows:

severe cutting pain in the eyes;
lacrimation;
a sharp decrease in vision;
fear of bright light.

In case of damage to the eyes, help should be provided immediately. This will determine the effectiveness of the treatment.

Burn treatment

Since the severity of burns can be different, there are two types of treatment:

conservative;
operational.

The choice of therapies depends on several factors:

the total area of the lesion;
burn depth;
the location of the injury;
the reason that provoked the burn;
development of burn disease;
the age of the victim.

If we consider a closed method for the treatment of burns, then it is carried out by applying a bandage with a medicinal preparation to the wound. When there is a shallow and mild burn, then such a bandage does not even have to be changed often - the wound heals quickly.

In the presence of the second degree, ointments with an antiseptic effect, bactericidal ointments are applied to the burn site. , for example, "Levomikol" or "Sylvatsin". They prevent the growth of bacteria. This bandage needs to be changed every two days.

With burns of degrees 3 and 4, a crust forms, so at first it is necessary to treat the area around with antiseptic agents, and after the crust disappears (and this usually happens after 2-3 weeks), bactericidal ointments can be used.

The closed method of treatment has its advantages and disadvantages. The first ones include the following:

The bandage prevents infection from entering the wound.
Protects the wound from mechanical damage.
Medicines promote faster healing.

Among the shortcomings are the following:

When changing the bandage, the patient experiences discomfort.
Dying tissues can provoke intoxication.

With a closed method of treatment, special techniques are used, for example, ultraviolet irradiation, bactericidal filters. They are usually available at specialized burn centers.

This method of treatment contributes to the rapid formation of a dry crust. Most often it is used for burns of the face, perineum, neck.

Surgical treatment

In some cases, when the burns are of a large degree and capture large areas, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention. The following types are used:

Necrotomy. The doctor cuts the scab to provide blood supply to the tissues. If this is not done, then necrosis may develop.
Necrectomy. Most often done with burns of the 3rd degree in order to remove dead tissue. The wound is well cleaned, suppuration is prevented.
Staged necrectomy. It is produced for deep burns and is more gentle compared to the previous method. Removal of tissues is carried out in several visits.
Amputation. The most severe cases: when treatment fails, the limb must be removed to prevent further spread of necrosis.

All methods of surgical intervention, except for the last one, then end with skin transplantation. Most often, it is possible to transplant the patient's own skin taken from other areas.

Folk remedies for burns

Many people wonder how to cure a burn at home? As for damage to degrees 3 and 4, the issue is not even discussed here - treatment should be carried out only in a hospital. Lighter burns may well be treated at home.

There are many proven methods for traditional healers, among them the following are the most popular and effective:

If obtained, then baking soda will perfectly help to cope with it.
A compress of strong tea can also alleviate the condition of the victim.
Prepare a composition from 1 tablespoon of starch and a glass of water and apply it several times a day to the affected areas.
If you soak a gauze napkin with sea buckthorn oil and apply it to the burn site, then healing will go faster.
Some believe that a 2nd degree burn can be cured quickly with raw potatoes. It is necessary to apply fresh potato wedges every 3 minutes. Blisters will not appear if such treatment is started immediately after an injury.
Prepare an ointment from 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil and 1 tablespoon of beeswax. Apply this composition 3-4 times a day.

It must be remembered that you can cope on your own without health consequences only with light burns. Serious injuries require medical attention.

Complications of burns

With any burn, not only damage inspires concern, especially with a large area, but also an infection that can join at any time. Risk factors include the following:

If more than 30% of the body area is affected.
The burn captures all layers of the skin.
Infant and old age.
Antibacterial resistance of the bacteria that caused the infection.
Improper treatment and care of the wound.
After the transplant, rejection occurred.

To reduce the likelihood of all complications, it is necessary to carry out treatment in specialized clinics. A burn is quite a serious injury, especially for children, who also receive severe psychological trauma.

The prognosis of burn treatment always depends on several factors, but the sooner the victim is taken to the clinic, the more effective the therapy will be, and recovery will come faster and with minimal risk of complications. The consequences of a burn can be irreversible if timely assistance is not provided.

It begins with determining the severity and depth of damage. The easiest form usually does not cause concern, which cannot be said about more complex cases where it is necessary to act as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Below are the signs, symptoms of all burn degrees, as well as methods for their treatment and first aid.

4 degree burns

Briefly about burns

There are 4 degrees of burns, each of which is characterized by a certain depth of damage, the area of affected tissues and blood vessels, the appearance of redness, blisters, charring and other signs.

A kind of unit for measuring the percentage of the affected area is considered to be the palm, which is equal to 1% of the body. There is also a certain percentage: the head and one arm occupy approximately 9% of the entire body, the chest, back and each leg - 18%.

1 degree

The lightest injury is a 1st degree burn, characterized by redness and slight swelling of the skin, while the affected area should not exceed 15%. A person is disturbed by tolerable pain and burning, which is noticeably aggravated by touch. The indicated symptoms disappear within 2-3 days, after which the skin begins to peel off, and after 4-5 days it is completely restored without the formation of scars or scars.

First degree sunburn

Even if you get a mild burn, you should take some actions:

Eliminate the impact of the lesion;
Cool the burnt area as quickly as possible under running water for 15 minutes;
Apply folk remedies (apply a raw potato compress or a cut aloe leaf);
If necessary, relieve pain by taking an anesthetic (nise, paracetamol, analgin, etc.);
Treat the affected area with anti-inflammatory and regenerative local agents (panthenol, levomekol, levosin ointments, solutions of novocaine or lidocaine 0.5%);

Important! In no case do not treat burned skin with oil or greasy ointment, which create a “greenhouse effect”: spontaneous heating and increased pain.

Zelenka, iodine, vodka and cologne, which dry dehydrated areas, are prohibited for burns.

Additional treatment in a hospital in this case is not required.

2 degree

When on the burned area, not only level 1 symptoms, hypersensitivity, but also fluid-filled blisters necessarily appear. The formed blisters cannot be burst or opened, because the moisture in it and the covering membrane serve to protect the wound from infection.

Second degree burn

These burns are accompanied by more severe pain, which subsides after 3-4 days and finally disappears after about 10-15 days.

First aid is carried out at home and is no different from the treatment at the previous stage. However, with increased pain, itching and burning, an increase in the area of redness (up to 15-20%) and the appearance of other alarming symptoms, it is recommended to immediately consult a doctor.

3 degree

A 3rd degree burn is the necrosis of the skin and the formation of a dry gray or blackish layer over the wound, called a scab. In this case, both the upper epidermis and all the deep layers of the dermis are affected, and the appearance of the skin is a clear sign: heterogeneity, purple hue, rare whitish spots and red dots (traces of vascular damage).

Burn shock depending on the degree and area

In this case, the following actions are required:

Call "ambulance";
Stop the negative impact on the burn wound;
Raise the part of the body with the burn as much as possible to reduce blood circulation and reduce the spread of toxic substances;
Apply a sterile bandage moistened with clean cold water to the damaged area.

Attention! You can not independently clean the skin from pieces of tissue, wash the wound with water, apply frozen food or ice and use cotton wool.

Burn degree 3A

Treatment of such a lesion is carried out only under the supervision of a physician and includes non-narcotic pain relief, hormone therapy, dehydration therapy, as well as antibiotics, bronchodilators and tetanus toxoid vaccination to avoid further infection.

4 degree

A 4th degree burn is very dangerous for human health and life and requires immediate medical attention. Signs of a serious lesion are a large burn area (over 20%), several extensive blisters, dark red to black skin color.

With such damage, not only the skin is dead, but also subcutaneous fat, tendons, muscle layer, blood vessels and bones.

When receiving a wound of the 4th degree, it is necessary to immediately call an ambulance, since it is necessary to clean the burn site from dead tissue as quickly as possible and begin treatment.

First aid at 3 and 4 degrees

The method of treatment is chosen by the doctor depending on the patient's condition and the capabilities of the hospital. So, closed and open methods of therapy are used:

The closed method involves periodic dressings and regular treatment of the damaged area with antiseptic agents. After 3-4 days, purulent melting of the scab begins and a bloodless necrectomy is performed, in which surgeons remove detached tissues.
They may also prescribe ultraviolet therapy or exposure to high-impact oxygen (hyperbaric oxygen therapy). Among the "pluses" of this method, protection of the burn from bacteria, epithelization of the wound, the possibility of transportation, and among the "minuses" - poisoning of the body with toxins during the slow rejection of dead tissues and severe acute pain during dressings.
The goal of open therapy is the early formation of a dry scab, which acts as a natural protective "bandage". The wound is specially dried with oxygen, ultraviolet, infrared rays or disinfectants with a coagulating effect. This method allows you to reduce intoxication and easily monitor the recovery process, but requires special expensive equipment for the institution.

In any case, healing is slow, and rough scars and scars often form at the site of burns.

Determining the area of burns

Often, in a medical institution, they immediately offer the services of cosmetologists or plastic surgeons.

In order to properly provide first aid to a victim of severe thermal exposure, it is necessary to accurately assess the extent of the burn, the depth and degree of damage. In most cases, the main symptom is the appearance of the skin and the general well-being of the patient.