Assessing a Burn

The skin is damaged by burning and can result in fluid loss which in turn may result in a casualty suffering from circulatory shock. When assessing a burn you must consider the cause, where it has occurred, if it is likely to affect the airway and the depth of the burn.

It is important to consider how the burn was caused and if it may result in secondary injuries such as burning of the airway due to smoke inhalation, shock due to fluid loss or infection as the skin is no longer providing protection from germs.

Depth of Burn

The depth of skin damage is used to classify burns. There are three types of burn to be considered. Superficial burns which affects only the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis. The major cause of this type of burn is sun burn.

Partial-thickness burns destroy the epidermis, and the skin blisters and becomes red and are very painful. They can be dangerous and if they cover more than 20% of the body may be fatal.

Full-thickness burns affect all layers of the skin. This usually means that the casualty no longer feels pain. The skin may look waxy, pale or charred.

Hospital Treatment

Always contact a doctor or go to hospital if a child is burnt. Otherwise medical attention should be sought for:

All full-thickness burns

All burns to the face, hands, feet or genital areas

All burns that extend around a limb

All partial-thickness burns larger than 1% of the body surface (equivalent to the size of the palm of the casualties hand)

All superficial burns greater then 5% of the body surface

If you are unsure of the severity of the injury.

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