"SLC21/WK6: Understanding Burns: Types, Causes, and First Aid Responses "

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Q1: Write a detailed first-aid response for the following scenario: " You witness a child accidentally spilling hot tea on their arm. What immediate steps will you take? What actions will you avoid? Include considerations for burn severity and explain your reasoning."

What immediate steps will you take?

1. Apply "DRABC" with Safety in mind
   I have to quickly move the child away from the place of harm. Doing this would help also guarantee my safety from any potential accident or reoccurrence.

2. Assess the Situation (Burn degree or severity)
   In assessing the situation, I have ascertained the degree of burn incurred. It is first-degree burn when it is reddish with minor swelling. But when I observed blisters and much pain where the underlying layer is affected, this is second-degree pain. But when I observe white or charred skin color and a painless situation, it is third-degree burn.

3. Burn Cooling
   We have to run normal room temperature water on the burn for about 20 minutes. This helps to bring calmness and lower the temperature and pain in the affected area.

4. Removal of materials around the burn area.
   This is necessary even before applying running water to the burn area. This helps limit further irritation and infection of the affected area.

5. Monitor and Comfort the Child
   This is essential for the child to help reduce skin pains by distracting them. Keeping them stable is ideal for their emotions. This will also check incidences of shock or painting in severe cases.

6. Call emergency
   In second and third-degree burns, we should seek medical assistance immediately to help calm situations.

What actions will you avoid

1. I will have the use of ICE
   This should be avoided to prevent further damage to the injured area. Instead normal room temperature should be applied.

2. I will avoid breaking Blisters
   Breaking blisters would do no good to the child but rather expose the injured area to infection.

3. I will avoid the application of oily or creamy substances. Avoiding this would help prevent trapped heat in the affected area, which worsens injuries.

4. I will also avoid covering areas with clothing
   Allowing the injury to cool should be prioritized other than covering it. Covering it would irritate me.

5. I will avoid panic. This would help bring calmness to everyone.

Considerations for burn severity

This would be done based on the severity/degree of injury. Since we already have 3 types of burn severity, let's put our considerations in line with these types;

1. First Degree Burn:
   This is the most common and least severe among the types of burns we have. It does heal well with our usual cooling and nurturing. Epidemics are areas affected by this type of burn with minimal need for medical attention.

2. Second Degree Burn:
   This is the moderate type of burn we have with burn affecting both the epidermis and dermis. Due to its mild severity, we may be seeing medical attention when the area affected is observed in a sensitive body part.

3. Third Degree Burn:
   This is the highest in the rank and requires medical attention because of the area of damage caused. The level of damage is seen deeper, as observed in second-degree burns, and may sometimes require surgery.

Reasoning

The overall purpose of these steps is to reduce further damage, irritation, and pain. All that is to avoid is to manage further injury, reoccurrence, or injury, and cooling that helps soothe the area affected.

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Q2: "A worker in a warehouse suffers an electrical burn after touching exposed live wires. The burn site shows entrance and exit points, with damage to the skin and underlying tissues. What are the immediate first-aid actions you should take, and what critical steps should you avoid? How does this differ from treating thermal burns?"

What are the immediate first aid actions?

1. I will Prioritize Safety first.
   Safety is usually my first point of call. Before anything else, I do not have to touch the victim who is still in contact with the live wires. However, I should be able to quickly switch off the source of power before approaching the worker.

2. I will Assess the Worker
   I will have to tap his shoulders and ask, "Are you okay?" if unresponsive, I will have to quickly call for help. If breathing and pulse are absent, I should proceed with CPR.

3. I will have to Cool the Burn
   Unlike the case in thermal burn. Where running water is applied to cool off the injury, I should be covering the affected area with sterile or nonsticky dressing gauze or clean clothing where the former isn't available.

4. I will control bleeding, if any, by applying mild pressure around the burn. The use of bandage could also be used.

5. I will monitor the worker and seek help.
   I should be able to monitor the worker's breathing and pulse for CPR. I may not have sufficient knowledge to evaluate electrical burns of any kind. Hence, I should seek medical help to help attend to the victim thereafter.

What critical steps should you avoid?

1. Just like explained earlier, I should avoid the use of Cold or ICE water directly on injury. This further causes damage and irritation.

2. I would avoid removing burned Clothing. We may have observed that some of the workers' clothing may have been burned during the incident and stuck to the skin; I should avoid removing this and apply a sterile dressing or clean clothing to cover the area.

3. I will also avoid the use of oil and creamy substances. These substances tend to absorb and trap heat in applied areas, which further irritates them.

4. I should be calm with any form of panic. Doing so destabilizes both the victims and bystanders.

How does this differ from treating thermal burns?"

Electrical Burns	Thermal Burns
Affects mostly internal organs and tissues	affects mostly the epidermis
Does not require water for cooling burn	The use of water is the standard practice
More risky and requires immediate medical attention	Less risky and most at times can be handled without medical attention
Presence of entry and exit point that shows potential damage path	Thermal burns only have one place of damage

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Q3:"A worker in a factory accidentally spills a strong acid on their arm, causing immediate pain, redness, and blistering. A colleague tries to wash it off with water but notices the burn spreading." a. Identify the type of burn. b. What went wrong during the initial first aid? c. Propose the correct first aid steps and explain why each step is important.

Identify the type of burn?"

This is typical of a Chemical Burn since acid and base solutions are classified under this category. So far, there were skin reactions immediately after this spill happened, with a resultant effect of redness, blistering, and other damages; it could be seen to be a chemical burn.

What went wrong during the initial first aid?

The first responder's action to rinse with water was an error. We have to ensure we do the required as a first responder during such cases, however, this was what went wrong;

1. Inadequate removal of substances
   Applying water to a strong chemical will not either neutralize it or completely remove it. Hence, the effect or burn continues.

2. Spreading chemicals to other body parts.
   Pouring water would only spread the chemical substances to other exposed body parts with more irritation observed.

3. Timing or response to action.
   Chemical burn happens to be rapid while in contact with the skin, and having a rapid response time will help reduce injury levels. Immediate decontamination of the substance should be done.

Proposed the correct first aid steps and explain why each step is important.

1. I will ensure safety by moving the worker away from further exposure to chemicals. Using protective gear should be ideal before handling such incidents.

2. Gentle removal of clothing which may likely aid more injuries. This helps to stop further skill contact with chemical paraventure they already have chemical droppings in them.

3. I will flush the area with running water for about 20 minutes. This goes along with water in neutralizing chemicals with little damage.

4. I will avoid the use of other neutralizing agents so as not to allow another formation of reagents. Except this is recommended by a specialist, the use of running water over time should be ideal.

5. Use clean clothing and nonsticky dressing gauze to cover up the affected area from any potential infection.

6. While I monitor the victim from any form of shock, I should be able to contact emergency services for help.

>Q4:You are a first responder in a rural area. Two people are injured in a house fire: Person A has a large area of third-degree burns but is conscious and calm. Person B has second-degree burns on both legs and is in severe pain. You can only help one person immediately due to resource constraints. Whom do you prioritize, and why Support your decision with medical and ethical reasoning.

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Whom do you prioritize, and why? Support your decision with medical and ethical reasoning.

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Medical Reasoning

PERSON A
Person A has already been diagnosed with third-degree burns, which are simple damage that deeper skin layers are affected with potential damage and complications in view if not attended to. Being conscious and calm simply shows one of the symptoms of numbness, hence nerve damage. Life is on the line if no medical treatment is given.

Victim is susceptible to having shock due to the degree of tissue damage, fluid loss, and numbness. There is a high chance of infection if untreated and handled.

PERSON B
Person B, has second-degree burns which are less risky than what we have for third-degree burns. Though maybe in pain due to major burns on both the epidermis and dermis, it is not life-threatening, except this occurs in sensitive regions.

Severe pain does not necessarily mean any harm to life-threatening situations as compared to third-degree burns.

Ethical Reasoning

This also goes a long way to determine what we have before us. We have prioritized victims with the likelihood of being at the edge of death. Third-degree burns are more critical situations that may degenerate if unchecked and are also life-threatening.

Attending to the most difficult situation is important to ensure all are saved. Second-degree burns in parts nonrisky do not pose any danger whatsoever. My decision-making would be centered on areas where life is likely lost.

That is to ensure quickly prioritize the treatment for PERSON A so as not to create further room for damages.

>Q5: Create an infographic on burn management. Include the following: a. Types of Burns and Their Causes (Electrical, Thermal, etc) b. Different types of burns (1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree) c. First aid steps for minor and major burns d. What NOT to Do During Burn First Aid." Use visuals and short explanations for each point.

Thank you... I invite @ninapenda, @chilae, @chommygift.