BURN CARE
Assessment and Care
SUPERFICIAL BURNS
Figure 3: Full thickness burn.
anterior chest and neck area. This is a
critical and life threatening burn.
Very serious burn injuries have
been called fourth- and fifth-degree
burns. These terms describe full-thickness burns that involve muscle tissue
(fourth-degree) or bone (fifth-degree).
They are rarely and inconsistently used
in academic literature.
A review of the literature indicates
a gradual transition away from using
degrees and toward a more descriptive terminology for burn injuries. Today
superficial, partial-thickness and fullthickness are preferred to first-, secondand third-degree.
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If the initial evaluation determines a
burn injury is superficial only, the patient
is best managed with rest, limitation or
elimination of continued exposure to the
heat source, and the provision of oral
hydration. While typically outside the
bounds of EMS operations, personal care
may include over-the-counter treatments
such as ibuprofen or a topical anesthetic.
Evaluate the use of OTC remedies on a
case-by-case basis for each patient
based on underlying history and indications/contraindications. Care should
always reflect local protocol.
PARTIAL- AND FULL-THICKNESS
BURNS
Care of patients with partial- and fullthickness burns begins with an airway/
breathing evaluation, and this should
be an ongoing aspect of the continued
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