Initial First Aid
What do you do first when you get a burn?
Put burn under cool RUNNING water
What are 3 important qualities of the dressing you must use/how to use? (hint: sensitivies)
1. non sticky
2. patient not allergic to material
3. not wrap around whole limb
What is edema?
Swelling, generally in the extremities.
What body temperature indicates that you should stop cooling the patient?
35 degrees celcius
donor = allograft
patient themselves = autograft
What are the different layers of skin/depths of burns?
Epidermal, Dermal, Hypodermal/subcutaneous
The more sensitive areas of the body that can be burnt are... (provide at least two)
Face, hand, groins
What causes edema?
Excessive accumulation of fluids trapped in body tissues.
After how many days is there a higher risk of severe scarring? (hint: its over a week)
Allow +/- 3 days
Debridement is the removal of _______ to allow healthy tissue to heal. Fill the blanks!
dead, damaged, or infected tissue
What are the other names for the different layers of skin/depths of burns?
Superficial, partial-thickness, full thickness
To treat edema, the following steps are recommended... (provide 1)
- elevation (keep swollen area elevated to encourage fluid drainage and reapsorption by the body
- movement (encourage movement to help push fluid away from swollen area)
- positioning (upright position)
- compression (if burn healed, compression gloves may be used)
- therapeutic exercises
What is the term referring to tight, tick, and often painful scars that form as deep (second or third-degree) burns heal, causing skin and tissues to pull together and restrict movement?
Burn contractures
What are the benefits of using patient's own skin for skin grafting? (provide at least 2 different points)
- lower risk of immune rejection
- lower risk of infection
- improved blood supply to grafted area
- better skin function and flexibility after healing
- no need for immunosuppressent medication
- cosmetically may look nicer
Rif recommends putting burn under running water for _______ or at least ___ minutes! fill the blanks
as long as humanely possible
20
Xenografts refer to skin grafting from a different species of animal. Examples of animals we get skin grafts commonly are... (provide 4)
Porcine (pig), cows, FROGGOS, cats, dogs, sheep, chickens
Guess two differences between flap surgery and skin grafts.
Flap: brings its own intact blood supply to site; deeper (so can transfer fat/muscle as well)
Skin graft: entirely detached and relies on recipient site to grow new blood vessels; shallow (consists of only top layers of skin)