Surgery C - Burns and Plastics Flashcards
What is the immediate first aid for burns?
ABCDE + Analgesia, emollients, Keep patient warm.
Heat Burns Management
Remove person from source, irrigate the burn, water between 10 and 30 minutes, cover in cling film
Electrical Burns Management
Switch off power supply, remove person from source
Chemical Burns Management
brush any powder off then irrigate with water
Burn Depth
Explain 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree
1st Degree: Red and painful, superficial epidermal
2nd Degree (Superficial): Pale, pink, blanching, painful, blistered, partial thickness burns
2nd Degree (Deep), Mottled Cherry red, White, patches of non blanching.
3rd Degree: Dry leathery, White, brown, black in color, no blisters, no pain
How does negative pressure help burns
Negative pressure - can increase blood supply to encourage healing, used for larger wounds
What are the layers in the epidermis?
Stratum basale
Stratum spinosum
Stratum granulosum
Stratum lucidum
Stratum corneum
What are the layers in the Dermis
Papillary and
Reticular
What is the function of the skin?
- Provides a protective barrier against mechanical, thermal and physical
- injury and hazardous substances
- Retains fluid in the body / prevents loss of moisture
- Reduces harmful effects of UV radiation
- Acts as a sensory organ (touch, protective reflexes, reproduction)
- Temperature regulation
- An immune organ to detect and respond to infection
Burn – World Health Organisation definition
A burn is an injury to the skin or other organic tissue primarily
caused by heat or due to radiation, radioactivity, electricity,
friction or contact with chemicals. Thermal (heat) burns occur
when some or all of the cells in the skin or other tissues are
destroyed by: hot liquids (scalds) hot solids (contact burns), or
flames (flame burn).
What are the different types of burn injury?
- Flame: e.g. direct flame or clothing
- Scald: damage from contact with hot liquid
- Contact: damage from contact with hot or cold solid materials or surfaces
- **Chemical: **contact with noxious chemicals (acids or alkalis)
-
Electrical: conduction of electrical current through tissue (classified
as either low voltage or high voltage injuries) - **Radiant heat: **a nearby heat source such as radiator, sunburn
- Other/Miscellaneous: Cold burn/frostbite, ionizing radiation exposure
- Major burns are commonly associated with inhalation injury
What are the three zones of Jackson’s burn Zones
Zone of coagulation:
Zone of stasis:
Zone of hyperaemia:
Explain each zone in Jackson’s burn zones
- Zone of coagulation: irreversible
tissue loss due to coagulative
necrosis. - Zone of stasis: decreased tissue
perfusion. Tissue is viable but can
deteriorate to necrosis if no adequate
resuscitation. - Zone of hyperaemia: outermost zone
with increased tissue perfusion.
Tissue usually recovers in absence of
severe infection or severe tissue hypo
perfusion
Burns can result in?
oedema
hypovolemia
coagulability
inflammation
Which then leads to: viscosity and Increased capillary
permeability
Finally this leads to burn shock
What is required for burns of more than 15% of
body area in adults and 10% in children
Fluid resuscitation
What are some clinical assessments for burns
Total Burn Surface Area Assessment - Methods
*Palmar Surface area: 1%
* Wallace rule of nines
* Lund and Browder chart
* Mersey Burns App
What is Wallace rule of nines
to estimate the percentage of total body surface area burned.
Rule of Nines - The head represents 9%, each arm is 9%, the anterior chest and abdomen are 18%, the posterior chest and back are 18%, each leg is 18%, and the perineum is 1%.
What are the different types of Burn Depths
Superficial (Epidermal):
(Dermal)Superficial partial thickness burns:
(Dermal) Deep dermal injuries:
Full Thickness:
Explain Superficial (Epidermal) burns
No blistering. Epidermal burns are not included in TBSA calculations. Pink and painful. E.g. Sunburn.
What is Superficial partial thickness burns
salmon pink, blanching with blisters.
Very painful.
What is Deep dermal injuries
mottled cherry red colour that does **not **blanch -
blood is fixed within damaged capillaries in the deep dermal plexus.
Variable pain, but less painful than superficial partial thickness burns
What is Full Thickness Burn
A dry, leathery or waxy, hard wound that does not blanch
any typically white in colour and painless
What type of burn is this?
Epidermal Burn
-Erythema, Blanches to pressure, painful
What type of burn is this?
Superficial Dermal burn-Pale pink, mottled and bilstered, blanches, painful
What type of burn is this?
Deep Dermal Burn
-Cherry red, blistered, does not blanch, dull sensation
What type of burn is this?
Full thickness burn
-White, does not blanch and has no sensation
What are the general management principles for burns
- First aid: stop the burning, 20 minutes of cool water, cling film
- ABCs and history including weight
- Early analgesia
- Cool the burn but keep the patient warm
- Assess Burn Total Burn Surface Area (TBSA)
- Assess Burn Depth
- Determine any Inhalation Injury
- Presence or absence of vascular compromise from
circumferential burns that may require urgent escharotomy or
even fasciotomy
Management principles for major burns
- Stop the burning process
- Airway management
- Circulatory management
- Relieve pain
- Keep the patient warm: high
risk of hypothermia - Assess area and depth of
burns - Instigate Fluid resuscitation
- Assess extremities and chest –
undertake escharotomies and/or
fasciotomies if needed - Tetanus prophylaxis
- Lines: peripheral, central, arterial,
catheter and NG tube (ICU) - Apply appropriate dressings
- Early excision and skin grafting
- Future reconstructive surgery
e.g.scar contracture releas
How do you decide where to treat a burn pt
In general terms
* Over 10% TBSA burns require
resuscitation - burn facilities
* Up to 40% TBSA burns cared
for in burn units
* Up to 100% TBSA burns cared
for in burn centres (such as
Whiston (adults) and Alderhey
(children)
How do you calculate the prognosis from a burn injury?
Age + TBSA >100 = poor
prognosis especially in presence
of inhalation injury
What is a Escharotomy
An escharotomy is a surgical procedure performed to allow greater circulation to that part of the body.