First aid for burns

Malaysian Red Crescent SMK Hillcrest

By: Staff Sergeant Mohd Syameer Firdaus (5 Alpha 2012) Private Amirul Fakhri (3 Amal 2012)
Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

Types of burns
Scald caused by a hot liquid Friction caused by rough surfaces, e.g: carpet Radiation/sunburn Electrical will have an entry burn and an exit burn Chemical Dry touching hot objects, e.g: a cooker.

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

Types of burns

Electrical Burn
Sunburn
Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

Depths of burns (1)

By Persian Poet Gal at en.wikipedia [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

Depths of burns (2)

1st degree / superficial: Minor damage to the top layer of skin. Normally appears as just redness. 2nd degree / partial: Damage to several layers of skin. Causes blisters. 3rd degree / full: Damage to skin and underlying tissue. May be charring of the skin.

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

First degree / superficial burn

Redness of the skin is the main feature of first degree / superficial burns Most common cause is sunburn!

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

Second degree / partial burn

Note the blistering of the skin

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

Third degree / full burn

After some healing has occurred

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

General treatment for burns

1. Immediately cool the affected area with running water for at least 10 minutes 2. Cover the burn with a non-sticky dressing clingfilm, a plastic bag, non-fluffy bandage 3. Seek medical attention, if the burn is serious then call an ambulance If running water is not available then improvise, any harmless liquid can be used to cool a burn.

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

What not do to
Do not try to remove clothing sticking to a burn, instead cool through the clothing Do not apply toothpaste / butter / creams to a burn. Running water is the most effective cooling method.
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Exception: Aftersun lotion is useful for sunburn

Do not burst any blisters Do not stop cooling before 10 minutes is up!

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.

Infection control
Try and keep the wound as clean as possible Try to avoid contact with the casualtys blood
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Wear disposable latex / nitrile gloves if available If not, use any available items to create a barrier (e.g: a plastic bag)

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water afterwards Seek medical advice if you are concerned

Malaysian Red Crescent, SMK Hillcrest 2012.