Dressing
and Bandaging
Burn dressings and bandages serve three purposes:
- Protect against infection
- Reduce heat loss
- Provide comfort
Functionally, dressings are applied to absorb
drainage and isolate the wound from the environment.
Sometimes, healthcare professionals use antimicrobial
agents (such as Microcyn®-based products, i.e.
Dermacyn Wound Care) before applying a dressing
to prevent bacteria contamination and infection.
Dressings come in various forms (from cotton gauze
to synthetic bandages) depending on the nature
of the burn wound. Joints are bandaged to facilitate
range of motion and extremities, such as arms,
legs, fingers and toes, are often bandaged separately
to isolate specific injuries. The frequency of
dressing change can range from twice daily to once
a week. These routine changes enable healthcare
professionals to check for infection and monitor
the healing process.
Skin Grafts
Treatment of severe burns often requires skin
grafting. Skin grafts involve taking skin from
unburned sites on the body, referred to as donor
sites, and grafting that skin onto the burn wound.
The grafted skin attaches to the underlying tissue
and effectively closes the wound.
 A
graft "takes" when new blood vessels
and tissue form in the injured area. Sometimes,
skin grafts do not take because of complications
such as infection (the most common cause of graft
failure) or shearing (pressure causing a graft
to detach from the skin). While grafting is a proven
and effective treatment, it is important to understand
that all grafts leave some scarring at both the
donor and recipient sites.
By using a patient's own skin to cover a burn
wound, the risk of tissue rejection is eliminated.
However, skin grafts are often a challenge for
patients with severe burns across large portions
of their body. In these instances there may not
be sufficient donor site skin to immediately cover
all of the individual's wounds.
Skin flaps are a complex type of skin graft that
attach donor skin and underlying tissue by surgically
connecting blood supply from the wound to the transferred
skin. Skin flaps and other skin replacement methods
are sometimes used in situations where standard
skin grafts are not possible or where alternative
methods are preferred.
Recovering from burns
The time taken for burns to heal depends on how
serious they are. Most superficial burns heal within
about two weeks and do not usually leave a scar.
Deeper burns take longer to heal and sometimes
require skin grafts. This is a plastic surgery
technique using skin from an unaffected part of
the body to repair an injured area of skin that
is not going to be able to heal itself. Third-degree
burns tend to result in scars that can be difficult
to treat. Specialist treatment by plastic surgeons
in these cases is aimed at minimizing such scars.
Other types of treatment or support may be required
as part of rehabilitation after burns. Physiotherapy
can help restore movement to burnt areas, especially
the hands. Advice on how to apply specialist products
for camouflaging scars is available from volunteers
in some dermatology departments. Psychological
treatments such as counseling can help people who
have been burnt to come to terms with having been
in an accident or with any serious changes to their
appearance.
Fire prevention
For most people, the greatest threat of injury
or death from fire is in the home. The most common
causes of fire are:
- smoking-related fires (eg. cigarette ends/matches),
- cooking-related (eg.grease fires, boiling
water spills),
- heaters and electric fires.
A simple bedtime routine can prevent fires.
- Make sure all cigarettes are extinguished.
Do not smoke in bed.
- Turn off all electrical appliances that don't
need to be on
- Turn off portable heaters.
- Make sure open fires have a suitable fireguard
and are safe to leave.
- Close all doors to prevent any fire spreading.
Installing strategically placed smoke alarms,
and ensuring they have fresh batteries, can save
lives where these safety measures fail.
NOTE:
Microcyn® does not have U.S. FDA clearance
for claims other than to moisten, lubricate,
cleanse and debride wounds. |
