First Aid Fluid Replacement for Burns

First-aider reports for everyone. If medical help isn't available within the half hour, to prevent shock from fluid loss a burn victim should be given a solution of salt and baking soda to drink. Mix one teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of baking soda in each quart of water. This solution will approximate the kind of fluid the victim's body is losing.

In the past, blood transfusions have been recommended to counteract shock in burn cases. However, the medical textbook Current Therapy 1972 states: "Except in those patients who have associate injuries responsible for direct blood loss, whole blood is unnecessary."

Fine Progress in Treatment

Back in 1963, the Industrial Medicine and Surgery magazine observed regarding extensive burns: "The accomplishments have been reflected chiefly in the prolongation of life, and not in the over-all survival. The mortality rate has not changed significantly in the past 50 years."

For many years the problems encountered in treating burn victims seemed unfathomable. Patients usually died regardless of the efforts to help them. Thus few doctors were inclined to devote the time required in caring for burn patients, and, sadly, burn research was practically ignored. Until 1960 the only place in the United States equipped to handle the badly burned was the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Today up to 200 or so of the more than 7,000 hospitals in the U.S. have burn units. In addition, there are about 15 specially equipped burn centers where a large team of burn specialists are available. Burn victims today can be grateful that significant strides have been made in treating burns, and that there is a good chance that a well-equipped treatment facility is nearby.

In the mid-1960's a major breakthrough was made in controlling infection in burn wounds. A dilute silver nitrate solution was introduced that inhibited bacterial growth, without damaging living tissue. About the same time new creams containing silver sulfadiazine and other sulfa compounds also began to be used successfully in combating infection. The December 1978 Burns magazine notes that, in China, vegetable extracts of a complex nature are applied to burns, and that these have a good antibacterial action.

Fine progress has also been made in recent years in managing burn patients' unique nutritional needs and in replacing their fluid losses.

Improvements, too, have been realized in methods of skin grafting. Skin taken from uninjured parts of the victim's body can now be greatly enlarged by perforating and stretching it, and then applying it as a mesh over the burn. To provide temporary covering of the burned area, pigskin or skin from human cadavers are commonly used. Also, amniotic tissue is being used as a dressing for serious burns, and progress is being made in constructing an artificial skin from animal tissue.

With the progress that has been made, even persons with deep burns over 50 percent of their body now have a good chance for survival if treated in a facility equipped to handle burns. But how much better it is to avoid being a burn victim! Burn experts say that 50 percent or more of all burn accidents could be prevented. There are some simple precautions that we can all take.

Source: First Aid Manual: The Authorised Manual of St. John Ambulance, St. Andrew's Ambulance Association, and the British Red Cross by St Andrews' Ambulance Association and the British Red Cross St John Ambulance (Author)