By AMY KOSSOFF SMITH
- The Business of MotherhoodThere are many times that parents step into the role of Dr. Mom, but treating a burn is one that guarantees anxiety. It's helpful for parents to educate themselves on some basic first aid and CPR so they're prepared for the unexpected.
I'll never forget carrying a paper plate with steaming corn when I was 7 years old, on a father-daughter Indian Princess cooking trip. The plate caved, along with the boiling water, and I've got a small scar to remember that experience.
Also, rushing to get dressed for a best friend's wedding, I learned never to use a hair straightener without also wearing a shirt. Burning your shoulder right before walking down the aisle in a strapless dress is far from ideal. Plus, even in today's tattoo frenzy, a bright red boil hardly passes for a cool mark.
And, when I was ironing bead art for my then 4-year-old, and he touched the hot iron to see if it was hot enough. That was confirmed shortly after in the ER, along with emergency burn treatment.
War stories aside, how should you react when your child gets burned?
According to the American Burn Association (www.ameriburn.org) and the Burn Foundation (www.burnfoundation.org), every 25 seconds, someone in the United States is burned or scalded in their home. Scalds are the leading cause of accidental death in the home for children from birth to age 4 and account for 60 percent of the burn injuries for children up to age 14. "It is essential to quickly and consistently cool the area when a child gets burned," says Dr. Daniel Rifkin, a pediatrician at Penn State Children's Hospital, assistant professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine and a former volunteer firefighter. "Even simple burns from splashes of hot water or coffee can lead to ongoing injury of the skin if the heat is not removed right away."
The Arizona Burn Center at Maricopa Medical Center Web site notes that "the first few minutes after it occurs can make a difference in the severity of the injury." Their site lists some great tips for parents:
1. Stop the burning process. Remove the source of heat. If clothing catches fire, stop, drop and roll to smother out the flames.
Stop: Do not run away when clothing is on fire. Running will only fan the flames.
Drop: Drop to the ground, and cover your eyes and nose with your hands.
Roll: Roll backward and forward like a rolling ball. This will help put out any clothing that is on fire.
2. Remove all burned clothes. Clothing may retain heat and cause a deeper injury. If clothing adheres to the skin, cut or tear around adherent area to preserve good skin tissue.
3. Pour cool water over areas burned. Keep pouring the cool water for at least three to five minutes (30 to 40 minutes for chemical injury). Do not pack the burned areas in ice! This may increase the extent of injury and cause hypothermia.
4. Remove all jewelry, belts and tight clothing from over the burned areas and from around the victim's neck. Swelling of burned areas occurs immediately.
5. Do not apply ointments or butter to wounds. These may cause infection due to their oil base and convert wounds to deeper injury.
6. Cover burns with a clean dry dressing, bandage or sheet.
7. Keep victim warm.
8. Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The experts at Burn Jel Plus (www.burnjelplus.com) offer the following kitchen safety tips:
- Avoid wearing loose-fitting long-sleeved clothing when cooking.
- Have good lighting in the kitchen and work areas.
- Always keep pot handles turned inward, toward the back of the stove. Cook on rear burners whenever possible.
- Keep a large lid within reach when frying to extinguish grease fires, if necessary.
- Use large potholders or oven mitts.
- Avoid leaving food to cook unattended.
- Use a "fill-through-the-spout" teapot, the kind without a lid and with a whistle in the spout, to prevent "spilled water" scalds.
- Avoid using area rugs in the kitchen, especially near the stove. They can cause falls and scalds.
- Purchase appliances with short cords, and keep all cords from dangling over the edge of counters, as they can be pulled down. The grease in deep fat fryers and cookers can reach temperatures higher than 400 degrees and cause serious burns in less than 1 second.
- Periodically check all handles on appliances and cooking utensils to ensure the handles are tightly fastened and will afford proper heat protection.
- When removing lids from hot foods, remember that steam may have accumulated. Lift the cover or lid away from your face and arm.
- Steam reaches temperatures greater than 200 degrees when using a microwave, and builds rapidly in covered containers, which can result in burns to the face, arms and hands. Puncture plastic wrap or use vented containers to allow steam to escape while cooking. Or wait at least one minute before removing the cover. When removing covers, lift the corner farthest from you and away from your face or arm.
For More Fire Safety Information, visit us at www.BuzzlyFireSafety.com.
Excellent post to understand about burn treatments. Great work!!
Posted by: Burn Treatments | June 29, 2009 at 02:04 PM
Even simple burns from splashes of hot water or coffee can lead to ongoing injury of the skin if the heat is not removed right away.
Kevin
Posted by: pediatric emr | September 21, 2010 at 08:49 AM