Burns Flashcards
Thermal Burns
most common type of burn injury
•are caused by flames, scalds, and heat
Radiation Burns
Are caused by exposure to ultraviolet light (sun exposure), x-rays,or a radioactive source, therapeutic treatment for cancer
Sun exposure is the most common burn, specifically two wavelength of light UVA and UVB that is more dangerous.
Chemical Burns
Are caused by contact with strong acids, alkalis or organic compounds.
Cleaning agents used in the home
(drain cleaner, bleach) and agents used in the industrial setting (caustic soda, sulfuric acid)
Classification of burns
Superficial
partial thickness
full thickness
3 layers of skin
- Epidermis: thin like sheet of paper; barrier
- Dermis: 30-45% thicker than epidermis-nerves and blood vessels
- Subcutaneous: fat, lymph, muscles and bones
Superficial burn (1st degree)
Ultraviolet light ( sun burn), flash flame
Dry, No vesicles
Minimal or No edema
Blanch with pressure & refills when pressure is removed
Increased erythema
Burn is painful
heals in 3-7 days.
Superficial partial thickness (2nd degree)
Due to contact with hot liquids or solids, flash flame to clothing, direct flame, chemicals, ultraviolet
Large moist vesicles that increase in size
Blanches with pressure/refills when pressure removed
Mottled with dull, white, tan, pink or cherry red areas
Very painful
- Blistering and destruction of the epidermis.
- Slight damage to underlying dermis.
- Generally heal w/o intervention
full thickness burn (3rd degree)
Contact with hot liquids or solids, flame, chemicals, electrical contact
Dry leather eschar
Charred vessels visible under eschar
Vesicles rare but thin walled vesicles do not grow in size MAY be present
No blanching with pressure
White, charred, dark tan, black red
Little or no pain hair easily pulls out
deep full thickness 4th degree
- muscles, tendons, bone
- black, no edema
- no blisters, eschar is hard and inelastic
True or false: A burn can have different degrees at once
True; different levels over different parts of the body
Electrical Burns
- black eschar at the entrance and exit; follows the vascular system and causes clots along the pathway
- risk for arrhythmias, delayed and immediate
- cardiac monitoring for 24 hours
- the closer the burn to an airway, the higher risk
Chemical burns do not need
heat
-some you can’t use water to rinse bc they are activated by water
Emergent phase patient care
Most at risk for hypovolemic shock
- prevent shock–greatest initial threat
- prevent respiratory distress (provide 02)
- pain management; IV narcotics
- Fluid Resuscitation
- Tetanus
- -before you treat pain; get the fluids going
•Stage 2 Intermediate or Acute (Diuretic) Phase
- Begins 48 - 72 after burn injury
- Greatest concern – circulatory overload—- it may result from the fluid shift back from the interstitial spaces into the capillaries.
the acute phase begins when the kidney excrete large volumes of urine
burn wound care
- prevent infection (patients own bacteria)
- prevent cross contamination
- assists body’s healing process
- Cleanse, Debride, Coverage
- Topical creams (water based)
- biological dressings/grafts
- prevent contractures with positioning, ROM exercises, ambulation, pressure dressings
debridement removes
dead tissue-prepare wound for grafting
Topical Antibacterial Agents for Burn Wounds need to be
water based
creams not ointments
__________ due to an increase in capillary permeability may be the greatest threat
volume shifts
Burn shock is most likely to occur within the first ________ immediately following the injury; consequently, the patient must be monitored closely during this time period for s/s.
48 hours
A method to determine the % or size of burns, the ___________ uses a diagram
rule of nines -head is 9%, each arm is 9%, chest is 18%, back is 18%, groin is 1%, each leg is 18% --not accurate for all ages; a rough estimate
A method to determine the % or size of burns, the _________ is the most accurate and is used for all pediatric patients
Berkow method
-requires time to calculate and requires a table for all ages
__________ is a topical antimicrobial agent for burn therapy;
silvadene
it is the most popular and has a wide range of effectiveness; easy to use and relatively painless; pt say “cooling effect”
-now known that using this to treat large burns doesn’t increase survival rates significantly
The #1 goal during the emergent/resuscitative phase of burns is control of _______ and ________!!
ABCs and shock
–>any change in hemodynamic status, decrease in BP, oxygen, deep breathing, turning
Nutrition after burns requires a tremendous number of __________;
calories
high cal, fat, protein, carb diet with supplements
-metabolism is high due to the healing process
Nursing care after excision and grafting
- immobilize the graft
- elevate to decrease edema
- check for bleeding and signs of neruovascular impair (inc pain, numbness, tingling)
- maintain bulky pressure dressings (applied in OR and in place 2-3 days)
- application of sterile saline or antibiotic soln q4hrs
- after autograft, observe donor site (left open to air, keep pressure off site, heat lamp)
- assess for infection (donor and graft site)-red, swelling, drainage
- manage pain
The best cover when closing the burn wound is the
patient’s own skin
- few donor sites
- meshed skin: run donor skin through machine that makes small slits that allow for expansion; healing occurs as spaces btwn mesh fill in with new epithelial skin growth
Heterograft / Xenograft
tissue from another species, such as a pig or a cow, used as a temporary graft
Homograft / Allograft
the transfer of tissue between tow genetically dissimilar individuals of another person who is not an identical twin (often a cadaver)
S/S of burn shock
cool dry skin, dry mucous membranes, poor skin turgor, decreased urine output, edema,diaphoresis, weakness, dizziness, change of LOC, decreased BP and pulse, tachycardia, dysrhythmia, abnormal labs
—> Tx with aggressive fluid replacement therapy!!!
debridement
is the removal of dead tissue:
circumferential
eschar extends around the extremities or chest and can restrict edema, inward pressure to tissue