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1, 2, 3 and 4 degree burns signs and symptoms

Contents:

What is sunburn?

A burn is damage to the tissue due to external impact. To external influences can be attributed to several factors. For example, a thermal burn is a burn that occurred as a result of exposure to hot liquids or steam, hot objects strongly.

Electrical burn – when this burn affects even the internal organs have an electromagnetic field.

Chemical burns – the ones that came from-for actions, for example, iodine, some acid – in General, various corrosive liquids.

If the burn resulting from ultraviolet or infrared radiation, that is radiation burn.

There is a percentage of the degree of destruction of the whole body. For the head is nine percent of the entire body. Each hand is also nine per cent, breast – eighteen percent, each leg is at eighteen percent and spin – eighteen percent.

Such a division in the percentage of damaged tissue to a healthy allows you to quickly evaluate the patient's condition and the right to give an opinion, is it possible to save man.


Degrees of burns

The importance belongs to the classification of burns by degree. This separation is necessary in order to standardize the amount of therapeutic measures with varying degrees of burns. The basis of classification is the possibility of reverse development of changes in a natural way without the use of surgical interventions.

The main area that determines the regenerative abilities of the affected skin is intact germ portion and microvasculature. If they are struck is shown early active surgical interventions in the burn wound, as her self-healing is not possible or takes a long time with the formation of rough scar and cosmetic defects.

The depth of tissue damage burns are divided into four degrees.

Burn 1st degree is characterized by redness and slight swelling of the skin. Typically, the recovery in these cases comes on the fourth or fifth day.

Burn 2nd degree – appearance on reddened skin of blisters that may have formed immediately. Burn bubbles filled with clear yellowish fluid when they breakthe outcrop of bright red painful surface germ layer of the skin. Healing if a wound is joined infection occurs within ten to fifteen days without scar formation.

Burn 3rd degree – necrosis of the skin with scab formation of gray or black.

The burn of the 4th degree – necrosis and even charring of the skin but also deeper lying tissues – muscles, tendons, and even bone. Necrotic tissue partially melted and are rejected within a few weeks. Healing is very slow. In place of deep burns frequently form rough scarsthat burns of the face, neck, and joints lead to disfigurement. On the neck and in the joints however, as a rule, formation of scar contractures.

This classification is standardized worldwide, and is used for almost all types of burns, regardless of their causes (thermal, chemical, radiation). Its convenience and practicality is so obvious that not even familiar with the medical person can easily understand it.

The basis for the development of pathological changes and clinical manifestations of different degrees of burns is the immediate destruction of the elements of the skin by high temperatures. The second component of circulatory disorders in the neighboring areas, which play a major role in exacerbating the extent and area of damage over time.

A characteristic feature of burn trauma is considered the increase of these parameters compared to baseline. To estimate the true volume of the burn can be only the next day after receiving it. By this time, there is a clear limitation of the living and dead tissues, although the area of microcirculatory disorders remains. For it and is the main healing struggle.

Related article: the first aid for burns, both medical and premedical


Burn 1st degree

In pathological relation presented the damage of a functionally insignificant top layer of the skin – epidermal. This area is subject to a regular replacement under normal conditions. In a healthy person during the day are shed millions of epidermal cells. Usually the causes of such burns can be sunlight, hot liquids, weak acid and alkali. Therefore, this burn is not accompanied by pronounced structural rearrangements of the affected skin. Microcirculatory disorders are also minimal, which underlies the formation clinicalmanifestations.

Signs of first degree burn of the skin for reduced redness (hyperemia) of the affected areas, accompanied by moderate pain. Touching it causes increased sensation. Swelling moderately pronounced or absent, depending on the area of the burn. Other manifestations are observed.

First degree burns often are limited. Common isolated superficial lesions are rare and usually combined with a deeper. Danger of burn disease in the case of destruction of the epidermis exists, which is reflected in a minimum volume of therapeutic measures.

The healing of the affected surface with burns of 1 degree occurs within several days. The process is characterized by gradual drying and shrivelling of the damaged epidermal layer. Then there is rejection in the form of peeling. A full recovery takes slightly longer than one week. Rough scars and skin imperfections, even in the face, remains.


The burn of 2 degrees

For these burns are characterized by damage to deeper layers of the skin and moderately pronounced disorders of microcirculation in the affected area and adjacent areas. This type of damage is most common and is characterized by a relatively benign course, even with large areas of burns.

Destroyed are the epidermis and the superficial zone of the dermis to the papillary layer. Its importance lies in the fact that here is the bulk of capillaries and nerve endings, which forms the clinical manifestations of the burn of 2 degrees. These structures remain intact. Temporarily disturbed only their function in intact pain sensitivity.

The clinical description of such a burn is the formation of bubbles of different sizes and squares, filled with a transparent liquid straw-yellow color. The surrounding skin may be reddened or unmodified. Their formation is probably due to the fact that dead epidermis forms a cavity that is filled with plasma (the liquid part of the blood) by an extended, partially changed the microvessels. Victims concerned about burning pain, which persist for several hours after a burn. Any touch increases the pain. Tissue in the affected area and adjacent areas swollen.

The 2nd degree burns heal on their own, leaving reddened areas that eventually become a natural shade and not allocated among healthy. In the process of complete recovery of damagedtissue takes on average about two weeks. Small burns do not cause any dangers in terms of burn disease.

But if the surface is large enough, there is a risk of infection and dehydration, which requires appropriate measures specialized medical care. It is limited to intravenous therapy and antibiotic prophylaxis. All active surgical intervention on the burn surface are reduced to piercing or cutting of the bubbles with the evacuation of the fluid in aseptic conditions.

Sometimes there is a dispute in determining the degree of burn and the differential diagnosis between burns 2 and 3 degrees. After all both those, and others are bubbles. But here the key role belongs to maintaining the pain sensitivity in the touch it burnt surface. If there is a second – degree burn.

3rd degree burn

Describing this kind of burn, it should be noted that it is divided into two subspecies. The need for this arose due to the fact that the deeper layers of the dermis have certain features which are also important in determining treatment tactics. In General, 3rd degree burn characterizes the complete defeat of the entire thickness of the skin to the subcutaneous tissue.

Therefore full self-service recovery becomes impossible. Microcirculatory disturbances in adjacent areas is so pronounced that often can turn into burns of 2nd degree with time.

In terms of the risk of burn disease the level of damage is very important. This is due to the fact that such burns often were extensive, spreading over a large area. Large amounts of dead tissue and wound surfaces formed in their place. These features lead to the fact that all the decay products actively absorbed into the bloodstream, causing severe intoxication.

Accordingly, there is still the possibility of infection these burns with the development of septic conditions. The restoration of the skin may take several months and in most cases requires surgery. These injuries leave behind severe scarring, which can cause cosmetic defects.

Clinical manifestations determine the division of 3rd degree burn on two subspecies:

  1. 3A degree – the defeat of the dermis, including the papillary layer. Remain intactonly the deepest areas, which contain skin appendages (hair follicles and sebaceous glands). This fact determines the possibility of self-healing of small area burns due to granulation and marginal epithelization from the surrounding healthy parts;

  2. 3b degree – damage to all elements of the skin, including the subordinate education. This makes it impossible for her self-recovery, so as to be subcutaneous fat do not have this capacity.

Burns 1 and 2 and 3A of degrees refers to surface, thanks to the ability to self-heal. To determine the degree of the burn is not as difficult if you know what you need to pay attention.

Criteria for 3rd degree burn, you can allocate like this:

  1. Burns 3A are formed of different-sized bubbles filled with bloody liquid on the background of reddened surrounding tissue;

  2. Wound defects with abundant serous-hemorrhagic (mucous and bloody) discharge, the touching of which is not painful;

  3. For burns of degree 3b is characterized by the formation of thick-walled blood-tinged bubbles or thick scabs of dead skin;

  4. Pronounced edema and hyperemia of the surrounding skin;

  5. General symptoms of intoxication and dehydration (tachycardia, rapid breathing, falling blood pressure, increased body temperature).

It is very important when such burns victims hospitalized in a specialized hospital, which will be held early operative treatment and an appropriate pharmacological treatment that will prevent the development of burn disease. Of the last condition is very difficult to withdraw patients. Therefore, for a given degree burns modern combustiological recommended early operative treatment with one-stage or staged plastics burn wounds.


Burn 4 degrees

This type of burns is the most difficult, regardless of the area affected. If it spreads within the same segment, it may cause the death of the patient or loss of limbs. As world practice shows, the burns of 4 degrees of local character basically get a flame or hot object, in a state of alcoholic or narcotic intoxication. Possiblesuch burns are chemical compounds acidic or alkaline nature. The electrical injury of the extremities is often burns hand and forearm 4 degrees, manifesting itself in complete charring of the fingers.

In morphological respect, this type of damage refers to the deep. Destroyed may be all layers of the skin and underlying tissues: subcutaneous fat, muscles, ligaments and tendons, bone formation, blood vessels and nerves. Perhaps a circular distribution of these changes around the affected limb, which leads to the formation of a dense crust of necrotic tissue and causes compression of the saved items and violations of adequate blood supply.

In terms of clinical manifestations of these burns with nothing impossible to confuse. In place of the destroyed tissue is determined by the dense thick eschar is black or brown. The General condition of patients is broken down to shock and brain coma. If the burn area is large, the time for saving lives is very small. Especially dangerous circular damage. A dense scab, which forms a frame, with a progressive increase in tissue edema becomes a barrier to their stretching, which leads to their compression and loss of chance of survival. The most pressing is the compression of the chest, which leads to disruption of vital functions and death of the victims in the case of the failure to provide specialized care.

In terms of the development of burn patients, with burns of 4 degrees of its manifestation can be traced from the first hours of receipt. If such burns are limited to small areas, projections of a full recovery are favorable. This process can take several months. With extensive burns if the victim survives, recovery takes many months or even years, because it requires numerous plastic operations to replace educated defects.

The most important thing to remember is not necessary in the first place to seek an answer to the question of the degree of the resulting burn. You need to quickly and efficiently organize emergency actions and patients ' transportation to a medical facility, which often depends not only on the amount of damage, but also human life. Everything else you need to trust the professionals in this business who knows the intricacies of complex problems.


How to help the victim?

In a domestic environment

The first thing you need to cool the skin. To do this, simply place the burned area of the body in cool water for 10-15 minutes. During this time, the pain will go away and the redness will be reduced. Just do not apply ice! Just need cool water.

Afterthis, you must handle the skin with a special tool:

  • Panthenol (or any tool that contains in its composition of panthenol)

  • The Tool

  • Ointment dermazin

  • Solcoseryl gel

  • Sulfargin

These tools can significantly reduce the power of stinging, accelerate the regeneration of the skin and quickly heal the burn. If these means are not home, the burned area of the body can be lubricated raw egg protein, aloe juice. Or you can make a poultice from raw potato or pumpkin. It is not necessary to use such a popular method, like butter and fatty cream. This method really removes the primary pain, but later it gets worse.

Home remedies recommended as a temporary measure, and treatment need special ointments that are listed above.