Contents
6.1. Introduction.
6.2. Burning Injuries, Definition and Classification.
6.3. Common Clinical Manifestations of Exposure to High Temperatures and Diagnosis of Burns of Diff erent Etiology.
6.4. Burns Caused by Chemical Substances.
6.5. First Aid in Case of Burns and Exposure to High Temperatures.
6.1. INTRODUCTION
Burn injury keeps leading position in the number of lethal outcomes. In the zones of emergencies, natural and technological disasters, military conflicts this marker grows by several times. Children under 5 years old are exposed to the highest risk of burning injury. 20% of deaths at an early age are caused by burning injuries. At the same time the adults and elderly people also show quite high rate of 28%. Severity of the burning injury depends on damaging factor (the most acute burns are caused by steam and fire), temperature, duration of exposure, location of the injury (the most dangerous are injuries to head, mouth cavity, and airways), its depth and magnitude.
Damage to more than 30% of the body is considered critical and more than often leads to lethal outcome. Quite frequently the burning injury comes alongside with the other damaging factors, thus thermal injuries are often complicated by adverse poisoning with the vapours of the burning materials (plastic, rubber etc.), poisoning with sweetdamp etc., which considerably aggravates the course of posttraumatic period and decreases chances of favorable outcome. Immediately given first aid often facilitates prevention of severe burning shock.
6.2. BURNING INJURIES, DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION
Burning trauma includes a large group of injuries caused by different factors.
Burn - is an injury to the organism tissues taking place as a result of exposure to high temperature, chemical agents, electricity and ionizing radiation.