Types and signs of burns. Burn shock. Rules and methods of rendering assistance to the burnt. Burn, types of burns

Sour cream. What could she be associated with? Someone at the mention of this word recalls delicious pancakes, someone - burns. But it’s true, all of us in childhood at least once, but smeared with fatty sour cream after a well-spent day in the bright sun. How justified is this folk method? What does official medicine advise to do with burns?

We share the answers to these questions with our readers.

Types of burns

Depending on the cause that caused damage to the skin, burns are divided into 4 groups:

thermal;
chemical;
electrical;
radiation.

Each type requires special approach in providing first aid. What helps with a thermal burn is useless with a chemical one.

It is often believed that chemical burns are rare. This is wrong. Suffice it to recall the insidious hogweed, so similar to a huge dill: touched with a hand, foot ... and that's it: a blister filled with liquid, and pain. This is an example of the most common chemical burn.

Depending on the damage to the skin, they are isolated.

When evaluating objective data to assess general state of a patient who has received a burn, the doctor examines not only the depth of the skin lesion, but also the area of the damaged surface. This is where the “rule of the palm” comes into play.

It is believed that the palm of a person corresponds to approximately 1% of the area of his body. ABOUT high danger they say in the case when in an adult, burns of 1-3 degrees occupy more than 30% of the body area. For a 4th degree burn, this figure starts from 10 - 15%. Any burns of the face and perineum are also dangerous.

For children, a different rule applies.

Urgent health care required in cases where the burn was subject to:

feet, joints, hands;
crotch;
neck, face.

If a child has a 1st degree burn, occupying more than 10% of the body area, this is a reason for an immediate visit to a doctor. The same applies to 2nd degree burns that exceed the size of a child's hand, as well as deep burns of any size.

If you suspect a burn respiratory tract Regardless of the age of the victim, urgent hospitalization is necessary.

Thermal

According to statistics, every third injury registered by medical institutions is a thermal burn.

Pathology is formed due to exposure to the skin and (or) mucous membranes of high temperatures.

Most common causes: fire, steam, touching hot metal (such as when cooking) and boiling liquids spilled on the skin.

Let's start off with, what to do with thermal burns is strictly prohibited:

open blisters on your own;
remove clothing in the burn area (you should leave everything as it is before arriving at medical institution);
touch the burn (otherwise, pathogenic microorganisms can be introduced);
apply oils, peroxide, iodine, cream (including sour cream!) to the burned area;
apply a plaster, ice or cotton.

Adequate medical care for burns is provided, based on the degree of damage to the skin.

Here's more 3 instructions, which should be remembered if misfortune happened:

you need to remove the jewelry located next to the damaged skin;
at severe pain take an analgesic (Ibuprofen, Paracetamol);
in case of burns of the hands (legs), lay the fingers with a clean, damp cloth, excluding their contact with each other.

Chemical

Special attention deserves the burn received from the cow parsnip. If you notice that you have touched a plant, you should immediately wash the contact area with running water and soap.

This rule does not apply in the case when the bubble has had time to swell. Blisters cannot be wet. They are treated with anti-burn medicines (Opazol, Panthenol). In case of damage to the mucous membranes, feet, face or 10% of the entire surface of the skin, urgent help doctor.

To the most common causes chemical burns include acids and alkalis.

In terms of skin damage alkalis are more dangerous than acids, as they destroy protein structures, literally dissolving them to the deep layers of the skin. The process ends with wet necrosis. Acids form a dry scab, which does not allow the active substance to penetrate deep into skin.

To stop the process of "corrosion" of the skin with alkali (acid) agent flush cold water . The exception is:

sulfuric acid;
quicklime.

Reacting with water, these substances will further destroy the skin, so they are carefully removed with a dry, clean towel.

Any chemical substance has its own “antidote” (for the same lime, it is a 20% sugar solution). But if you are not a chemist, then eliminate the risk of complications and immediately contact the hospital for qualified assistance.

electrical burns

Damage to the skin is the least evil that a person can receive from an electric shock.

In terms of treatment of skin burns in this case act in exactly the same way as for thermal damage.

Much worse is that an electric shock can negatively affect the functioning of the heart, lungs, and brain. Sometimes it happens after a day, three, a week ... after an electric shock. Hospitalization required.

While waiting for an ambulance, witnesses of the misfortune should provide first aid:

provide better access to air for the victim;
it is convenient to lay the patient;
monitor the person’s pulse and breathing (if necessary, perform an indirect heart massage and (or) an artificial respiration procedure).

Radiation (solar) burn

This type of burn is known to us much better under the name "sunburn".

After exposure to the sun, the skin dries out, turns red, and becomes covered with bubbles containing liquid. This the easiest and most predictable type of burn.

After a few days, the skin will “peel off” and everything will be forgotten. A little patience is required from the sacrifice of the sun.

And what to do with sour cream? There is only one answer - there is, using it for its intended purpose. And to solve the problem sunburn use special sprays or gels. The same Panthenol, for example.

Modern drugs:

relieve pain;
contribute accelerated healing the top layer of the skin;
minimize the risk of infection in the burnt areas.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that burns are a pathology, the appearance of which is almost impossible to prevent. There are no guarantees that in a minute you will not touch a saucepan with boiling borscht with your elbow ... Therefore, the main thing in the matter of the appearance of burns is adequately taken measures for their treatment. If you have read the article, there is nothing to be afraid of.

ABOUT skin burns - a type of damage that occupies one of the leading places among injuries received in everyday life. Everyone has experienced scalding with boiling water, touching a hot object or getting a sunburn. Therefore, it is necessary to know what types of damage are, how to provide first aid, a list of modern effective drugs for self-treatment.

Classification

To find the right approach to render first aid And further treatment you need to know what burns are.

There are such types of damaging effects as:

thermal (burn with boiling water, hot object, steam, flame);
chemical (acid or alkali);
radiation (ultraviolet, infrared or ionizing radiation);
electricity (contact with a current conductor, voltaic arc, step voltage).

According to the depth of the lesion, 4 degrees of burns are distinguished:

1 First degree burn: the topmost layer of the skin is damaged. Redness and slight swelling appear at the site of injury.

2 Second degree burn: traumatization of deeper skin structures occurs with the formation different size blisters that are filled with a clear liquid. When opening the bladder cover, a weeping, sensitive wound surface is exposed.

3 Third degree burn: can be classified as grade A and is characterized by superficial necrosis of only the skin layer, with preservation of structures hair follicles, gland ducts. Grade B indicates the necrosis of not only the skin, but also the subcutaneous fat.

4 Fourth degree burn: deep damage to the skin, tissue and underlying tissues (muscles and bones).

Most often in everyday life a person receives burns of 1-2 degrees, less often 3A. Important role in the development of the depth of tissue damage plays the duration of the damaging agent and the area of the lesion.

First aid

Principles of rendering emergency care to the injured person are to perform such items as:

elimination of the damaging factor;
washing and cooling of the wound surface (running water, ice, cryo-package, snow);
pain relief with analgesics (Aspirin, Analgin, Ibuprofen, Ketorol);
wound treatment at the site of injury (application of a sterile dry or antiseptic moistened bandage);
providing plenty of fluids large area damage.

It is strictly forbidden to independently remove burnt tissue from the wound, foreign bodies and pop bubbles. A common mistake is the use of vegetable and animal fat, fatty ointments, which only exacerbate tissue damage.

For each type of burn injury, there are features of first aid that you should know in order to avoid complications.

Exposure to high temperature

Thermal burns are the most common and can vary in depth. When providing first aid, it is necessary to cool the affected area for at least 15 minutes (ice, cryo-package, snow). In case of injury to the hands, rings and bracelets should be removed to prevent the development of swelling of the fingers and hands. If the fingers are damaged, layers of gauze or clean cloth can be laid between them to avoid sticking them together.

radiation damage

The peculiarity of sunburn is its vastness. Despite the fact that the lesion rarely exceeds grade 2, a person's condition can worsen significantly. When rendering assistance, the victim must be placed in a cool room with access fresh air. A fan can be used for cooling.

Burn by chemicals

A chemical burn in everyday life occurs when sanitary and hygienic products, high concentrations of vinegar, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, slaked and quicklime come into contact with the skin. First aid consists in removing the reagent, for this you need to remove clothing that could have been contaminated by chemicals, then rinse the affected skin surface for a long time for 15-20 minutes with cold running water. Further, in case of an acid burn, slightly alkaline solutions are used to neutralize it (1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per glass of water). For alkali burns, acids are used (1% acetic, citric or 0.5% boric).

electrical injury

The peculiarity of first aid is to eliminate the damaging agent. To do this, you must strictly follow the safety rules. A person under voltage should not be touched with bare hands or metal objects. It is best to use a wooden stick. At the same time, it is better to stand on a rubber mat or be shod in rubber boots.

Treatment at home

Treatment of a burn at home is allowed only with 1 and 2 degrees of damage, less often 3A, taking into account satisfactory health.

You need to consult a doctor in the following cases:

the area of the lesion exceeds the size of the palm of the victim;
any burn in an infant;
loss of consciousness;
severe pain reaction;
general increase in body temperature, poor health, severe swelling;
deep lesion with the formation of a dense black crust;
electrical injury.

The modern pharmaceutical market offers an extensive list of burn treatments. In the early stages of wound healing, dressings with antiseptic solutions and aerosols with antibacterial and local anesthetic properties.

Finished preparations that have proven efficacy in the treatment of burns are represented by such names as:

Betadine solution for external use;
Pentazol liquid aerosol dressing;
Panthenol foam spray;
Olazol aerosol spray;
Acerbin solution for external use, spray.

After the acute inflammatory reaction subsides and the blisters open, ointments and creams are applied to help restore and rapid healing affected areas.

Modern remedies for the treatment of burns are represented by drugs such as:

Bepanten cream or ointment for external use;
D-panthenol ointment for external use;
Solcoseryl gel or ointment;
Baneocin ointment;
Argosulfan cream for external use.

Timely provision of first aid and competent treatment of a burn at home will allow short time forget about an unpleasant incident. But you should remember those cases when medical care is needed, this will avoid serious injuries and complications.

Most burns are minor injuries that occur at work or at home. Quite often, you can get burned by scalding your hands. hot water or by touching them to a heated pan. Usually, home treatment in such cases, this is all that is needed to stop the pain, decontaminate and heal.

Distinguish the following types burns:

Thermal burns(often called thermal burns) are caused by contact with fire, hot objects or liquids. Scalding with hot liquids is most common among children and the elderly. Frostbite is caused by exposure of the skin to cold, moisture, or wind.

electrical burns arise as a result of contact with current-carrying elements or lightning.

Chemical burns are formed as a result of contact with household or industrial chemicals in liquid, solid or gaseous forms on the skin. Some natural products, such as chili peppers, can cause a slight burning sensation.

Radiation burns may occur from the sun, over-sun exposure, tanning beds, X-rays, or radiation therapy used to treat cancer.

Friction burns. As a rule, they appear upon contact with a hard surface, for example, an expensive carpet. Typically, such a burn is both a scratch and a thermal burn. Such burns are most often received by athletes who, as a result of accidents with great strength fall to the floor or courts. Motorcyclists and cyclists without a recommended protective suit also often get this type of burns.

Inhaling hot air can damage the lungs (called inhalation injuries).

Burns damage various layers of the skin, as well as some other parts. human body such as muscle tissue, blood vessels, nerves, the human respiratory apparatus and eyes. There are burns of the first, second, third and fourth degrees, depending on the depth and area of \u200b\u200bdamage to the body. Naturally, the deeper and larger the burn, the more serious its consequences will be, and the more difficult it will be to treat.

First-degree burns are burns that affect only the top layer of the skin.

There are two types of second degree burns:

Superficial burns affecting one or two layers of the skin.

Deep local burns affecting two layers of skin.

Burns third degree affect all layers of the skin, as well as subcutaneous tissue and require the mandatory intervention of medical personnel.

Fourth degree burns penetrate muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, blood vessels and bones. Naturally, it is impossible to cope with them on your own; mandatory medical intervention is required.

The severity and danger of a burn is determined by the following things:

depth, size, cause, affected area of the body and age of the victim;

any other associated injuries, as well as any necessary aftercare;

Of course, no one is immune from the likelihood of getting burned, but statistics show that there are certain age groups that are subject to this type injuries more often than others.

Most burns that occur in children under 5 years of age are caused by scalding with liquids.

More than half of all burns occur in people aged 18 to 64.

Elderly people, due to their old age, often get thermal burns.

Men are twice as likely to get burned than women.

Infants and young children are more susceptible to burns than adults. The reasons for this lie in the insignificant loss of fluid by adults during burns, while children lose a significant part of it, subjected to excessive, for example, thermal exposure.

From this data, you should draw the following conclusions: environment must be safe for the child. At every stage of a growing person's life, close attention risk of burns and take the necessary steps in every specific case precautionary measures. In view of the fact that, nevertheless, in most cases people get burns at home, it will not be superfluous to make sure once again that the place of your pastime is actually not a source of increased danger.

If, nevertheless, an infant or an adult has been burned, it is very important to find out exactly how this happened. If you incorrectly identify the causes, the subsequent wrong treatment may aggravate the burn. In addition, burns are often accompanied infectious diseases so keep a close eye on the burn as it heals. Skin areas with deep burns are more susceptible to infection.

In this article:

When exposed to the skin of various potent drugs and substances that corrode the upper skin layers, as well as electrical and solar energy arise different kinds burns. What are burns?

Chemical burns of the skin
Thermal skin burns
Burns from radiation rays
electrical burns

Chemical burns

The cause of chemical burns is almost always life-threatening exposure to caustic alkalis and concentrated acids. The severity of the burn in such cases depends on:

The duration of action of the substance on the skin
His concentration
Localization of a chemical burn.

Chemical burns have clear contours. The eschar that forms at the site of injury may be colored in different colour depending on the substance that caused the burn. Sulfuric acid makes burnt tissues black or brown, from hydrochloric acid the burn acquires a yellowish tint, and when burned with nitrogen, it becomes yellow with an admixture of brown or green. Hydrogen peroxide, burning the skin, stains dead tissue in White color. Burned skin - dry, stuck together with the burn site. When burned with alkalis, on the contrary, dead tissues swell, look wet, the substance continues to penetrate deep into the tissues, abscesses and suppurations easily occur.

For a thicker layer of skin on outside palms and heels, chemicals are less dangerous than for areas of the body where the delicate, thin, and therefore very sensitive to any external influences leather. These areas include mucous membranes, the skin around the eyes, on the neck, on the chest. inner surface palms. The mouth and pharynx are extremely sensitive to caustic substances, and as a result of their contact with these areas, swelling of the larynx can easily develop, which can lead to the fact that a person may lose consciousness as a result of asphyxia. The causes of burns in the mouth and larynx area are the ingestion of liquids mistakenly taken for a drink, but turned out to be a life-threatening remedy.

Deep burns can easily become infected. An infected burn causes a lot of suffering to a person, as a severe burn heals on its own. long time, and a painful infected burn requires the use of strong antibiotics, which greatly weaken the already sick body.

Causes of burns mild degree These are alcohol-based formulations. Skin damage can be obtained by lubricating the skin with alcohol. Camphor alcohol treats otitis media and lubricates wounds and burns, but if you treat the wound too often, or if you do not dilute alcohol with water, but use it in excess, you can get additional alcohol, which increases the sensation of pain in the damaged area by several times, burn.

Built to fight acne effective remedy baziron is not suitable for all skin types and for sensitive and prone to allergic reactions the skin can cause burns that heal for a very long time and cause a lot of grief to its owners. If redness and a multiple rash appear on the skin, the drug should be changed, and the face should be lubricated with soothing and emollients.

After dyeing the head with paints containing chemicals, a burn of the scalp is inevitable. Women feel it as a feeling of incessant burning. After staining, when the scalp is burned, they begin easily and in in large numbers hair fall out, so hair dye should be used no more than twice a month.

Thermal burns

When the skin is exposed to high temperatures, the border of which ranges from 50 C to 100 C, thermal burns occur. The causes of this type of burns can be:

bright sunlight
Fire
Any hot liquid, including boiling water
hot objects

Light thermal burns are characterized by redness and swelling of the skin. For burns medium degree after a few hours, blisters with liquid form at the burn sites, which burst over time and are replaced by new skin. Charred black burns with deep tissue damage, in which not only the skin, but often the bones are affected, occur with severe burns.

It is a well-known fact that the midday rays of the sun in hot summer days even with a short stay in the sun, they can severely burn exposed skin. A person who has not covered his head with a headdress or at least with a scarf or towel in time is at risk of getting a heat stroke.

Careless handling of fire threatens with serious consequences. If the lighter is used inaccurately, when its flame is not extinguished and the flint is heated, a person risks not only getting burned, but also serious injuries to the hands, because in this case, after 10-15 seconds, an explosion of gas poured into the body of the lighter may follow. The same thing can happen when a person throws used spray bottles into a fire pit or hot ashes. People get cigarette burns when they carelessly forget to put out a cigarette, or make careless hand movements.

When removing boiling water from an electric stove, you can get a burn with boiling water if you move your body inaccurately. This type of burn is very common, as people who live in their own homes and do not have hot running water in the house are forced to heat the water themselves. Burns can also be obtained with other hot liquids: syrup or brine, boiling milk, jam and other mixtures that people deal with all the time.

Steam comes from any boiling liquid, a burn of which is also not uncommon. Steam can be burned in a sauna and bath, when water is splashed on a red-hot stove, and a person gets under the steam coming from the stove in the very first seconds. In addition to skin burns, he risks getting and severe burn respiratory tract.

A burn with hot objects is not so common and occurs mainly due to the negligence of the person himself, who neglected the safety rules at work and at home. At home, you can get burned on a hot stove or coals, at work you can touch hot equipment or tools with your bare skin without protecting them with special gloves.

Burns from radiation rays

At the site of a radiation burn, small capillary vessels cease to function, and scars form. Damaged skin after a few days becomes shiny and smooth, swelling occurs, which over time acquires a bluish or purple hue.

People get radiation burns much less frequently than everyone else, but radiation burns with gamma, alpha and beta rays can destroy epidermal cells for a long time and affect deeper layers of the skin, and the consequences of such burns are unpredictable. Radiation burns adversely affect metabolism and work internal organs, causing various accompanying illnesses which are very long and painful.

After laser treatment of hair on the legs, women get rid of the problem excess hair on the body, but receive laser burns as a result of epilation. If top part the hair has not been previously removed, then on the skin after laser hair removal painful black dots remain in those places where the hair root goes into the bulb hidden in the skin itself. There is a burning sensation in places where the radiation of the laser beam hit the skin, and immediately redness and swelling appear in the places of burns.

electrical burns

With such burns, “marks” are formed at the sites of injury, after a short time bubbles filled with serous fluid appear on them. During the healing period, the formation of an ugly scar is inevitable.

Causes of electrical burns can be:

electric shock
lightning strike

Electrical burns can occur as a result of touching exposed parts of the body to bare wires or cables with broken insulation, to devices whose covers are under electrical voltage as a result of a faulty ground circuit. similar view burns can be obtained due to the short circuit of the old and faulty electrical wiring in the house. It is not uncommon for new electrical equipment to already have problems, and one day a disaster may happen to the person using this item. Unfortunately, electric shock most often leads to grave consequences and even to death. The ingress of electrically powered objects (hair dryer, mixer, curling iron) into water is dangerous for human life, because water is an excellent current conductor.

As you know, the electric charge concentrated in lightning is instantly discharged when it comes into contact with the body of an animal and a person, as well as when it enters inanimate objects. When struck by lightning, such a powerful charge of electricity passes through a person that cases of survival in these situations are extremely rare.

Any burns occur suddenly, just like other accidents. You should carefully consider the warnings and recommendations of experienced people, and try to follow elementary rules personal safety at home and at work.

Burn(combustio) is damage to the skin, mucous membranes and deeper tissues caused by extreme exposure to: high temperature, chemicals, electricity or ray energy.

According to the cause of the occurrence, burns are divided:

thermal: flame, steam, hot liquids, molten metal, heated objects;
chemical: acids, alkalis, phosphorus, household chemicals;
electric: electric source, lightning;
radiation: solar radiation, light radiation of a nuclear explosion, electric welding.

Degrees of burns

With a first degree burn, only the epidermis, which is capable of rapid regeneration, suffers. A few days after the burn, the swelling resolves, the redness disappears, the epidermis sloughs off. There are no traces on the burnt area.

With a second-degree burn, the epidermis is damaged more deeply. The bubbles burst, and their bottom is a germ layer of the skin. The remaining viable cells of the germ layer are the source for healing the burn wound. Restoration of the skin occurs within 8-12 days. New skin initially has a bright pink color, and after 2-3 weeks becomes normal view and there are no burn marks.

With a IIIa degree burn, the epidermis, the growth layer and part of the dermis are affected. Healing is much slower. From the 10th day, all dead tissues are rejected, and then healing begins, which lasts 15-30 days from the moment of the burn injury. Restoration of the epidermis occurs from the edges of the wound (marginal epithelialization) and from the depths through the reproduction of epithelial cells hair follicles, sweat and sebaceous glands. 2-3 months after the restoration of the skin, pigmentation gradually disappears and new skin almost indistinguishable from healthy.

With a IIIb and IV degree burn, healing begins only after the melting and rejection of dead tissues, which occurs within 4-6 weeks. After rejection, the skin defect is gradually filled with loose connective tissue, very tender, easily vulnerable, Pink colour. This tissue is called granulation tissue because it looks like granules tightly joined together. The granulation tissue gradually thickens, denser connective tissue fibers grow into it and, finally, turns into a scar. With deep burns, complete skin restoration is impossible and healing occurs only by scarring. The terms of scar formation are from one and a half to several months. Moreover, this is possible only with a small size of the burn wound. When the wound is extensive, the body cannot provide it complete healing and the wound turns into a non-healing ulcer.