First aid for burns and electrical injuries

The article was written by Specialist Doctor II Nguyen Xuan Ninh - Emergency Doctor, Emergency Department - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

A burn is injury caused by exposure to heat, electricity, or chemicals. Specifically, thermal burns occur when a person comes into contact with a hot surface, steam, or fire. When you are burned, you should only soak in cool water or apply a cool, clean wet towel, do not use ice. Ice can damage the burn area.

Make sure the scene is safe Get a first aid kit Wear personal protective equipment Cool the burn area immediately with cool water, not ice, for at least 10 minutes If you don't have cool water you can use clean pack- cool or cold but do not freeze Run cool water over the burned area until the pain is gone You can cover the burn area with dry, non-stick, clean or sterile gauze

Make sure the scene is safe If there is a fire, large burn area, or you don't know what to do, call 911 immediately (115) If the victim or the victim's clothing is on fire, put out the fire according to the following rules: stop –drop –roll (stop, lie, roll). Then, wrap the casualty in a wet blanket. Stop - Drop - Roll Stop - The casualty must stop, stop all movements that could ignite the fire or hinder those trying to put it out. . Drop - The victim should lie on the ground if possible, cover his face with his hands to avoid facial injury Roll - The victim must roll on the ground, try to extinguish the fire by reducing oxygen. If the victim is lying on a rug or has someone to assist, they can help roll the rug to put out the fire. Once the fire has been extinguished, remove the wet blanket. Carefully remove jewelry and clothing so that they do not stick to the skin Cool the burned area immediately with cool water for at least 10 minutes After the burn area has cooled, cover the burn area with clean, dry, non-stick gauze or gauze. sterile Use a dry blanket to cover the victim Watch for signs of shock Victims of extensive burns should be treated by medical personnel as soon as possible Medical staff will determine what further treatment the victim needs

Electricity can cause damage to the surface of the body as well as damage to internal organs. You can see marks as well as wounds where the current enters and leaves the body. The damage can be severe, but based on the external lesion, it is difficult to determine the severity of the injury. Electricity can cause the victim to stop breathing, possibly causing cardiac arrest and death.
When a victim is injured by high voltage, for example a broken power line and a downed power line, immediately notify the authorities and call 911. Do not enter the area and do not try or attempt to pull out the power cord until the power is turned off.
Attention: Electric current can pass from the power source through the victim and into your body. Therefore, do not touch the victim if he is still in contact with an electrical source. The best way is to turn off the power, but only try to do this if you are trained to do it, or you know how to turn off the power. Once the power is off, you can touch the victim.
Actions you need to take to give first aid to an electric shock victim :
Make sure the scene is safe Get a first aid kit and AED Wear personal protective equipment Once it is safe to touch the victim perform CPR if indicated. Medical personnel should examine all persons who have received an electric shock as soon as possible.

Article referenced source: First aid - American Heart Association