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

First aid is a very important life skill to have as accidents happen everyday and this knowledge can make the difference

Here are my attempted answers to the questions based on my understanding of this course.

Question 1"

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

The immediate steps I will take are:

• Move the child away from the source of burn to avoid getting burnt again.
  For a first degree burn, if the skin is blistered but not burnt, I'll proceed to cool down the burn under running water for a period of 10-20 minutes.

If the skin peels off, after cooling down the burn, I'll gently clean the surface area with water and a mild soap then apply non stick dressing to cover the burn to avoid infections. If there are mild pains, I will give a pain reliever like ibuprofen to the child,then allow the wound to heal.

Actions I will avoid will include;

• Tearing out the cloth that stuck to the burn area.

• Immersing the wound in ice cold water as this can cause hypothermia for the child.

• Using any ointment directly on the burn as this can trap heat and harden the burn.

My consideration for burn severity and reasons included the following;

Depending on the burn severity, the first aid approach will differ. For a moderate or 3rd degree burn, ensure the safety of the person and myself by moving away from the incident spot and then call for medical help as the burn could become life threatening or infected if not properly attended to.

Then I'll check for response from the person. If the person is responsive, then I'll hydrate and reassure the person until help comes but if in shock, I might need to help out with CPR to aid breathing.

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

• Seek immediate emergency medical help.

• Next will be to make sure the live wire is disconnected from a light source or to use a non conductive material to separate the person from the source to avoid becoming a casualty myself.

• Remove accessories or jewelry as this can trap heat thereby causing more damage.

• Next, I'll check if the victim is responsive and also signs of shock. If no signs of shock seen I'll provide fluids to hydrate the person, then keep reassuring the person while waiting for the medical team to show up.

In the case of shock, I'll proceed to asses the person's breathing and check for a pulse inorder to know if CPR is needed.

The critical steps I will avoid:

• pulling off clothes stuck to the affected skin area.

• Unnecessary moving of the victim to avoid worsening the case.

• Cleaning of the affected area with anything

• Tightly wrapping the burn. A loose clean cover is okay to prevent contamination.

• Leaving jewelleries or accessories that are close to or on the affected area on.

How does this method differ from treating thermal burns??

Some thermal burns are first degree burns and first aid can be applied to the victim depending on the burn severity while electrical burns are mostly third degree burns. This case scenario shows this is a third degree burn and as such needs immediate professional medical attention.

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.
This type is chemical burn.

b. What went wrong during the initial first aid?

• The colleague did not remove or cut off the contaminated clothing around the burn area first as this would allow the acid spread to skin areas where the contaminated clothing is touching thereby causing the burn to spread.

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

The first step would be to stop the spreading of the acid by gently cutting off the contaminated cloth from the skin around the burn.

Then flush the affected area for a minimum of 20 minutes with running water. Then cover the affected area with a loose clean dry cloth to prevent contamination and call for medical help.

Q4:

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

I will prioritise Person A.
Reasons are:

1. person A has experienced 3rd degree burns and it calls for immediate medical attention. The fact that he's not experiencing pain could be a sign of nerve damage.

2. The burn has most likely affected 20% of person A's TBSA and if this person is left unattended to can lead to infection.

Q5:Create an infographic on burn management. Include the following:

a. Types of Burns and Their Causes (Electrical, Thermal, etc)

Created with canvas

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."

@pandoradiary @hyacinthfavour @alexanderpeace come learn and join this class.

All images created with canvas.