Treatment

Try to remove patient to hospital within 6 hours, otherwise seek RADIO MEDICAL ADVICE in the case of:

• third-degree burns;
• babies;
• burns of face and genitalia, and large burns around joints;
• burns of over 18% of the body surface in adults, or 10% in children or older persons

Pending his removal to hospital, put the patient to bed and seek to restore the fluid balance by encouraging him to drink as much as possible. Give him oral rehydration salts solution to drink. If vomiting occurs and persists, intravenous infusion of 0.9% (9g/litre) sodium chloride may be necessary, after receiving RADIO MEDICAL ADVICE. Relieve pain and start standard antibiotic treatment. Less serious cases can be treated aboard ship. Wash your hands and forearms thoroughly and put on a facemask. Remove the firs-aid dressing to expose either a single burned area (in multiple burns) or a portion of a single burn. The aim is to limit the areas of burned skin exposed at any one time to lessen both the risk of infection and the seepage of fluid. Clean the skin round the edges of the burn with soap, water and swabs. Clean away from the burn in every direction. DO NOT use cotton wool or other linty material for cleaning, as bits of it are likely to be left in the burn.

Leave blister intact, but clip off all the dead skin if blisters have burst. Flood the area with clean warm boiled water from a clean receptacle to remove debris. With a swab soaked in boiled warm water, dab gently at any remaining dirt or foreign matter in the burned area. Be gentle, as this will inevitably cause pain.

Next cover the burn with neomycin ointment. Now apply a covering of absorbent material to absorb any fluid leaking from the burn, i.e. a layer of sterile gauze covered with a layer of sterile cotton wool. Hold this in place with a suitable bandage. In more serious cases start the standard antibiotic treatment.

Dressings should be left undisturbed for a week unless they become smelly or very dirty, or the temperature is raised. Re-dress areas as above.

 

1. Answer the following questions

1. What kinds of burns do you know?
2. What are their major signs? What is the difference between them?
3. How are the burns classified?
4. What should be done in case of burns?

 

1. Translate from Russian into English

Ожоги различают: термические, электрические, химические и радиационные. По степени тяжести они различаются: I – краснота, II – пузыри, III – омертвление кожи, IV – обугливание.

Оказывая помощь при ожогах, следует предпринять следующие меры:

· промыть ожоговую поверхность морской водой, наложить стерильную противоожоговую повязку и полить ее сверху раствором анестезина в спирте (из аптечки).

· Не вскрывать пузыри и не удалять кусочки кожи с поверхности ожога.

· Не менять повязку до заживления ожога.

· Давать пострадавшему по 2 таблетки тетрациклина 4 раза в сутки.

При ожогах глаз или их поражении солнечной радиацией защитите глаза от света (темные очки), от прямых и отраженных от воды солнечных лучей, промойте их пресной водой.

При ожогах кислотой рекомендуется обильное промывание водой или содовым раствором, при ожогах щелочами – обмывание раствором борной кислоты или разведенным уксусом.