This content is written, edited and updated by hand surgeon members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. © 2014 American Society for Surgery of the Hand Your hand surgeon will coordinate with a therapist if he or she feels that you would benefit from rehabilitation. Deeper ones or those that occur in conjunction with other injuries may require extensive therapy and rehabilitation. Superficial burns generally will not need any formal hand therapy. Long-term follow up with your hand surgeon should be planned to evaluate for potential future surgery that could improve your hand function. Many burned hands will develop contractures, which cause stiff and constricted muscles, months or years after the original injury. Many patients with severe injuries will require more than one operation. Ideally this is within two to three weeks after the injury.
#Chemical burn treatment skin
After surgery, the hand is splinted (Figure 3) until the skin is healed. The dead skin will need to be removed and replaced with skin grafts, which is a surgical procedure.
Wound healing occurs within two to three weeks. If there are open and raw surfaces, cleaning, frequent dressing changes, and the application of local topical antibiotics should be performed until the wounds are healed. Flood the burn with cool or lukewarm running water until the ambulance arrives, to disperse the chemical and stop it burning. The hand and forearm should be splinted in a position of safety to prevent later stiffness. They usually heal within a week.īlisters on the hand may or may not be trimmed. Irrigation should continue at the hospital until the pH of the ocular surface has normalized to a. The affected eye(s) should be irrigated copiously with any available noncaustic fluid at the injury site and throughout transport to the hospital. Remove contaminated clothing or jewelry and rinse chemicals off for at least 20 minutes, in a shower if it's available. Initial treatment of any chemical burn should begin immediately at the time and place of the injury. Put on gloves and brush off any remaining material. These are treated primarily for comfort with local pain killers. If you think you have a chemical burn, take these steps immediately: Remove dry chemicals. Those just on the hand may be treated on an outpatient basis if the pain can be adequately controlled. Burns over a major percentage of the body require hospitalization special care.
#Chemical burn treatment how to
How to treat a burn depends on the severity of the burn. Treatment focuses on preventing further problems with stiffness and infection. Re-dress in clean clothing and go for medical help at your first opportunity.Initial first aid measures include removing the hand from the source of heat and keeping it clean. Take a thorough shower to wash any chemical away. Place your clothing in a plastic bag so it cannot contaminate other people or things. Treatment of burns depends on the location and severity of the injury. Scalding liquids are the most common cause of burns in children. Electricity and chemicals also cause severe burns. Many people die each year from fire-related burn injuries. Note: Use care not to touch your contaminated clothing to your bare skin. Burns can be minor medical problems or life-threatening emergencies.
If you believe you or someone else has been contaminated with a chemical, call the Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222, Shelby County EMS at (205) 669-3999, 9-1-1, or your operator immediately.
A chemical burn can be minor or life-threatening, but proper treatment can reduce the chance of infection and the damage caused by contact with the chemical.
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