Treatments for Burns

Treatment list for Burns:

The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Burns includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.

• Treatments of minor burns or minor scalds:
  • Run under cold water for about 10 minutes
  • Do not use ice
  • Pat dry the skin after washing
  • Dressing or bandage over burn
  • Regular changes to burn dressings or bandages
  • Keep burn dressing clean and dry
• Treatments of more severe burns or scalds:
  • Sterile dressings
  • Preventive antiseptics
  • Preventive antibiotics
• Treatments of very severe burns:
  • Emergency treatment
  • Transfusions
  • Pain relief medications
  • Preventive antiseptics
  • Preventive antibiotics
  • Skin grafts
• Specialized treatments for chemical burns
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Avoid using the burned area
• Elevate burned limb for 24 hours - to reduce swelling in the area
• Pain relief medications
  • Aspirin
  • Acetaminophen
  • Ibuprofen
• Treatment of mouth burns:
  • Soft foods, bland foods, cold foods
  • Plenty of fluids
  • Microstoma

Treatments of Burns: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the treatments of Burns.

Burns: Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Immediate, aggressive burn treatment increases the patient’s chances of survival. Later, supportive measures and strict sterile technique can minimize infection. Because burns require such comprehensive care, good nursing can make the difference between life and death. (See Managing burns with skin grafts.)

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Burns: Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)

❑ Immediate, aggressive burn treatment increases the patient’s chance for survival. Later, supportive measures and strict aseptic technique can minimize infection. Meticulous, comprehensive burn care can make the difference between life and death. (See Fluid replacement: The first 24 hours after a burn.)

❑  If the patient’s burns are minor, immerse the burned area in cool water (55° F [12.8° C]) or apply cool compresses. Give him pain medication as needed.

Clinical tip  Don’t apply ice directly to the wound.

❑  Debride the devitalized tissue, taking care not to break any blisters. Cover the wound with an antimicrobial and a bulky, nonstick dressing, and administer tetanus prophylaxis as needed.

❑  Provide the patient with thorough teaching and complete aftercare instructions. Stress the importance of keeping the dressing dry and clean, elevating the burned extremity for the first 24 hours, taking the prescribed analgesic, and returning for a wound check in 1 to 2 days.

❑  For moderate and major burns, immediately assess the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation. Be especially alert for signs of smoke inhalation and pulmonary damage: singed nasal hairs, mucosal burns, voice changes, coughing, wheezing, soot in the mouth or nose, and darkened sputum. Assist with endotracheal intubation, and administer 100% oxygen.

❑ Control bleeding, and remove smoldering clothing, rings, and other constricting items.

Clinical tip  If clothing is stuck to the patient’s skin, soak it first in saline solution.

❑ Be sure to cover burns with a clean, dry, sterile bed sheet. (Never cover large burns with saline-soaked dressings because they can drastically lower body temperature.)

❑  Begin I.V. therapy immediately to prevent hypovolemic shock and maintain cardiac output. Use lactated Ringer’s solution or a fluid replacement formula.

❑  Once the patient’s condition is stable, take a brief history of the burn.

❑  Draw blood samples for a complete blood count; electrolyte, glucose, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine levels; arterial blood gas analysis; and typing and crossmatching.

❑  Closely monitor intake and output, and frequently check vital signs. Although it may make you nervous, don’t be afraid to take the patient’s blood pressure because of burned limbs. An arterial line may be inserted if blood pressure is unobtainable with a cuff.

❑  In the facility, a central venous pressure line, additional I.V. lines (using venous cutdown, if necessary), and an indwelling urinary catheter may be inserted.

❑  To combat fluid evaporation through the burn and the release of fluid into interstitial spaces (possibly resulting in hypovolemic shock), continue fluid therapy as needed.

❑  Send a urine specimen to the laboratory to check for myoglobinuria and hemoglobinuria.

❑  Insert a nasogastric tube to decompress the stomach and avoid aspiration of stomach contents.

❑  Electrical and chemical burns demand special attention. Tissue damage from electrical burns is difficult to assess because internal destruction along the conduction pathway is usually greater than the surface burn would indicate. Electrical burns that ignite the patient’s clothes may cause thermal burns as well. If the electric shock caused ventricular fibrillation and cardiac and respiratory arrest, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation at once. Get an estimate of the voltage.

❑  For a chemical burn, irrigate the wound with copious amounts of water or normal saline solution.

Clinical tip  Using a weak base (such as sodium bicarbonate) to neutralize hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, or sulfuric acid on skin or mucous membrane is contraindicated because the neutralizing agent can actually produce more heat and tissue damage.

❑  If the chemical entered the patient’s eyes, flush them with large amounts of water or saline solution for at least 30 minutes; for an alkali burn, irrigate until the pH of the cul-de-sacs returns to normal.

❑  Have the patient close his eyes, and cover them with a dry, sterile dressing. Note the type of chemical causing the burn and the presence of any noxious fumes. The patient will need an emergency ophthalmologic examination.

❑  If the patient is to be transferred to a specialized burn care unit within 4 hours after the burn, don’t treat the burn wound itself in the emergency department. Instead, prepare the patient for transport by wrapping him in a sterile sheet and a blanket for warmth and elevating the burned extremity to decrease edema. Then, transport the patient immediately. Once at the burn unit, the patient will receive specialized treatments, including skin grafts of various types.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Medications used to treat Burns:

Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.

Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Burns include:

• Albumin
• Albumarc
• Albuminar
• Albutein
• Buminate
• Plasbumin
• Plasbumin-5
• Plasbumin-25
• Camphor and Phenol
• Campho-Phenique
• Ethyl Chloride
• Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride
• Fusidic Acid
• Fucidin
• Saint John's Wort
• Chamomile
• St. John's Wort

Find a Therapist or Health Professional

We have linked up with Psychology Today to bring you America's most comprehensive list of Health Professionals throughout the United States and Canada.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Health Professional

Buy Products Related to Treatments for Burns