Five steps to treat burns in children

Pediatric burns are relatively common, usually occurring when children are 1 to 4 years old. The severity of the burn is mainly related to the temperature of the heat source and the duration of contact. Given the delicate skin of children, people must understand the correct steps when dealing with pediatric burns. Here are the five major steps required to treat pediatric burns.

1. "Flushing" means immediately removing yourself from the heat source after a burn or scald, and flushing the injured area with running cold water to lower the temperature of the injured area and reduce the aggravation of tissue damage caused by further penetration of high temperature.

2. "Taking off" is something that many people tend to overlook. If you are scalded by boiling water, the water temperature on your clothes is still relatively high. If you do not take off your clothes, it is equivalent to not being away from the heat source, and the injury will still be aggravated. Therefore, flushing and taking off at the same time is the correct way to deal with it.

3. "Soak" means continuing to soak the wound in cold water after taking off clothes. Soaking in cold water can continuously reduce body temperature and avoid blistering or worsening of the condition. If small blisters appear, be careful not to break them and have them treated by a doctor.

4. "Wrap" means to wrap the injured surface. The injured surface must be wrapped before sending to the hospital. For example, you can wrap it with a clean towel. Do not apply "ointment" indiscriminately.

5. The last word “send” means to send to a doctor for treatment and seek medical help.

Although the temperature of warm packs and hot water bottles is not high, they can easily cause low-grade burns. Low-grade heat burns refer to burns caused by prolonged local action at a temperature of around 50 to 60 degrees Celsius, with the heat slowly penetrating into soft tissue. The burns may not seem serious on the surface, but in fact they are often deep, causing deep tissue necrosis, some of which can reach as deep as the bone. Low-grade fever burns are difficult to heal through local dressing changes, and most patients require surgery to be cured.