In our day-to-day lives, we face many dangers and one of the most common and most probable is getting burnt or getting injured due to contact with fire or hot liquids and gases. Getting burnt due to electrocution is also a possible source of burn injuries.
When we have home care services it will be really easy to get first aid as the home health care service providers are well trained in offering the right type of first aid to those who have suffered burn injuries that will minimize the damage to the body and its tissues till the time you can reach the hospital and get treated for the injuries.
The type of first aid required for burns depends upon the location, body surface area, and degree of burn and it will be done the right way if done by a home health care person who is trained in giving first aid.
The skin is very important for our body as it gives protection to our body parts from natural elements, dust particles and microorganisms and apart from this it also plays a significant role in the fluid and temperature regulation of the body.
If there is damage to a larger area of the skin in our body, then it will lose its ability to maintain fluid control. Besides this, the skin is the protective barrier against the bacteria and viruses that are found in the outside world. A good home health care service provider knows very well that your skin is a complex organ and it is made of three layers of tissues namely the
- Epidermis, the outer layer of the skin
- Dermis made up of collagen and elastic fibers that consists of the nerves, blood vessels, sweat glands, and hair follicles that reside
- The hypodermis or subcutaneous tissue contains the larger blood vessels and nerves and is the layer of tissue that is responsible for the temperature regulation in the body.
When a burn occurs in the body the amount of damage that it causes depends upon the
- Location of the burn
- How much body surface is affected by the burn and the
- type of burn,
- Classification of burns
The first aid for burn injuries depends on the type of burn and the depth of its effect on the skin and the adjoining area of the body. Hence it is necessary to know about the types of burns so that the 24-hour care at home can be determined and give the right type of first aid to the person who has suffered burn injuries.
Generally, the burns are classified based upon their depth and there are three types of burns namely:
- A first-degree burn: this just a superficial burn that causes local inflammation of the skin on the affected area. The best example of this type of burn is the Sunburns that you get when you expose yourself to the sun for a prolonged time. In this type of burn, the inflammation comes with pain, redness, and swelling and the skin becomes very tender and sensitive to touch. As first aid for this type of burn it can be done by you and no professional first aid is necessary and most of the time this can be treated in the house and no treatment is necessary
- Second-degree: These burns are deeper and are very painful, with red inflamed patches. Blistering occurs in the affected areas and these need first aid to prevent the escalation and it will be better if you have a home health care person take care of your first aid when they are available in the house. This type of burn will require treatment in a hospital if the areas affected are expansive and there is an excess of blistering on the site of the burn.
- Third-degree burns are the burns that are deeper than second-degree burns and are the ones that have affected all the layers of the skin and have killed all the living tissue in the area of the burn. As the nerves and blood vessels are also severely damaged this type of burn appears white with a leathery look and painless due to the complete damaging of the sensory nerves in the affected area. When you or your elder relative has sustained third-degree burns it is necessary that you have a very effective first aid preferably by a well-trained home health care professional and this alone can prevent further damage to the skin and it is a must for moving to the hospital for effective treatment.
A burn injury needs a good and effective first aid preferably by a trained eldercare person or by a senior care service offering as a home health care as the burn injuries mature over time and the first-degree burn becomes a second-degree one and a second degree may escalate into a third-degree if not give first aid and effective treatment without delay.
Whatever be the type of the burn injury, it must be treated immediately as all types of burn injuries cause inflammation and accumulation of fluid at the site of the burn injury. Do not forget that the burn injury damages the skin area and is a real break in the protective barrier to our body through which disease-causing microorganisms can enter into the body and cause a variety of infections in the body.
So, prompt first aid and good treatment to effectively contain the damage caused by the burn and curing the injury is necessary to prevent any further complications in the body.
You must know that only the epidermis or the upper layer of the skin alone can grow and cover the damaged area. But the other two layers cannot regenerate themselves, and hence any injury that penetrates the epidermis and goes deeper into the skin causes permanent injury resulting in irreversible scars and may cause serious impairment to the normal functioning of the body parts that have sustained burn injuries.
- Treatment for Burns
The treatment of burns should be given based on the depth, area, and location of the burn.
Depending on the depth the burns are categorized as the first, second, or third degree. A first-degree burn is mostly superficial and usually it does not need any serious treatment and it will heal by itself in two or three days. On the other hand, second-degree burns look similar to first-degree burns but have more damage to the skin and cause blistering of the skin with more intense pain.
In third-degree burns, the damage is very extensive and has caused the death of the skin tissue and it must be treated with elaborate planning and constant attention to prevent infection and other complications as it is capable of causing severe impairment to bodily functions.
When you or those in your home sustain a second or third-degree burn injury first aid through a trained home health care professional will save a lot of complications later and hence if you have a home care service available for elder caretaker first aid for the burn injury through them and you can move the injured person to the hospital without any delay.
While calculating the extent of the burn in addition to the depth of the burn, the surface area of the burn also plays an important role in the treatment of burn injuries. The extent of the burns is usually measured as a percentage of body area affected by the burn using the rule of nines.
This type of calculation is made upon the fact that the surface area of the parts of an adult body corresponds to approximately 9% of the total body area. When there is first aid given to the burn injury through a home health care professional you have good chances of early recovery with minimum damage.
When there is a burn area of more than 15% there is significant fluid loss and shock may occur if the adequate fluid is not provided intravenously. With the percentage of burn surface area the risk of death increases.
So, early and effective first aid by a trained home care person becomes vital in the survival of the person in second and third-degree burns.
Special types of first aid must be provided in case of burns due to electrical fires and those caused by chemical substances. Depending on the area of the burn, the type of treatment must be changed to prevent related complications in muscle movement, breathing, and other vital functions of the body.
Whatever be the treatment of the burns, the first aid given on the spot without delay plays a vital role in saving the life of the injured person, and hence the home health care persons need to have good training in giving first aid to the burn injury victims.
