Wound Cream

Burn Management

The first step in managing a person with a burn is to stop the burning process. With dry powder burns, the powder should be brushed off first. With other burns, the affected area should be rinsed with a large amount of clean water to remove foreign bodies and help stop the burning process. Cold water should never be applied to any person with extensive burns, as it may severely compromise the burn victim's temperature status.

At this stage of management, it is also critical to assess airway status. If the patient was involved in a fire, then he or she has inhalation injury until proven otherwise, and should be managed accordingly.

Once the burning process has been stopped, and airway status is ensured, the patient should be volume resuscitated according to the Parkland formula. This formula dictates that the amount of Lactated Ringer's solution to deliver in the first twenty four hours after time of injury is:

Fluid = 4cc x %TBSA x weight in kg - % TBSA excludes any first degree burn

Half of this fluid should be given in the first eight hours post injury and the rest in the subsequent sixteen hours. The formula is a guide only and infusions must be tailored to urine output and central venous pressure. Inadequate fluid resuscitation causes renal failure and death.

First Aid Treatment

First Aid is the immediate and temporary proper aid provided to a sick or injured person or animal until medical treatment can be provided. It generally consists of series of simple, life-saving medical techniques that an individual without formal medical training can be trained to perform with minimal equipment.

The Knights Hospitaller were probably the first to specialize in battlefield care for the wounded. Similarly, knights founded the Order of St. John in the 11th century to train other knights specifically how to treat common battlefield injuries. St. John Ambulance was formed in 1877 to teach first aid (a term devised by the order) in large railway centres and mining districts. The order and its training began to spread throughout the British Empire and Europe. As well, in 1859 Henry Dunant helped organize villagers in Switzerland to help victims of the Battle of Solferino. Four years later, four nations met in Geneva and formed the organization which has grown into the Red Cross. Developments in first aid and many other medical techniques have been fueled in large by wars: the American Civil War prompted Clara Barton to organize the American Red Cross. Today, there are several groups that promote first aid, such as the military and the Scouting movement. New techniques and equipment have helped make today's first aid simple and effective.

Aims

The 3 main aims of first aid, commonly referred to as the "3 P's" are:

Emergency action principles

Training

One needs hands-on training by experts to perform first aid safely. Such training is more useful if it occurs before an actual emergency. Proper emergency preparedness is achieved only with regular and up-to-date refresher courses and recertifications, especially for potentially lethal emergencies such as those that require Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Training in first aid is often available through community organizations such as the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance. In many countries in the Commonwealth of Nations, St. John Ambulance provides first aid training and in some countries operates ambulance services. In Scotland, St. Andrew's Ambulance Association provides first aid training. In the United States, the American Heart Association, the American CPR Training, and Medic First Aid Organization also offer first aid training.

First Aid Kit

A first aid kit is a collection of supplies and equipment for use in giving first aid, particularly in a medical emergency. Most first aid kits contain bandages for controlling bleeding, personal protective equipment such as gloves and a breathing barrier for performing rescue breathing and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and sometimes instructions on how to perform first aid.

Conditions that often require first aid

...just to name a few

Techniques and procedures of first aid