Synonyms in a broader sense
Burns, burn trauma, burn injury, combustio, degree of burns, burns in children, sunburn English: burn injuryA burn is the damage to the surface of the body (skin-mucosa), or to deeper tissue through heat (fire, hot steam, etc. ), electric current or radiation (sunburn, radioactive radiation, etc.). The burning with chemical substances (acids and alkalis), which is sometimes referred to in this way, as well as cold burns, which are classified as frostbite, must be distinguished from this.
Every year there are about 600 light and 4 severe burns per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany. One third of these are occupational accidents, while another third are children and adolescents who suffer burns as infants due to a lack of care in the household, or as adolescents due to carelessness when playing with fire. Acute therapy initially consists of removing the cause of the burn from the patient, whereby care must be taken to ensure adequate self-protection, especially in the event of fire and electricity.
Affected body parts are cooled with tap water (in Germany harmlessly clean) to room temperature for no longer than 5-10 minutes to remove any residual heat and to relieve pain. If cooling is too long or too aggressive, there is a risk of local cold damage or hypothermia of the patient. Severe and extensive burns require medical attention and are an emergency, so do not hesitate to alert the emergency services (see: Burns).
Until further medical care is provided, the burned body surface should be covered with a low-germ layer. This is done with large bandages contained in the first-aid kit, which are laid very loosely over the wound and secured without exerting pressure on the painful injury. Ointments and powders of any kind should not be used, since they change the wound appearance as a further uncleanliness in the burn, also for subsequent medical treatment.
Depending on the severity of the burn, sterile wound care and compensation for the lost volume of fluid is then carried out in the hospital. In order to compensate for the massive loss of protein, burn patients are fed as early as possible with up to 6000 kilocalories per day, as well as a vitamin-rich diet. In case of inhalation trauma, artificial respiration may be necessary to ensure lung function. Surgical procedures include the removal of irreparably destroyed tissue and the transplantation of skin. Like many diseases, burns can be improved by homeopathic medication.