A burn is a type of soft-tissue injury caused by exposure to heat, radiation, chemicals, or electricity. The severity of a burn is determined by the strength of the burning agent, the length of exposure, the location of the burn, the size of the area burned, and the victim's age and medical condition.

Burn Classifications

There are three general burn classifications:

- Superficial (first degree) burns. Only the first layer of skin is affected, causing redness, pain, and swelling.

- Partial-thickness (second degree) burns. These burns are more severe, involving both layers of the skin. Partial-thickness burns are characterized by redness, pain, swelling, and blisters that weep clear fluid.

- Full-thickness (third degree) burns. These burns are the most severe, resulting in the destruction of all soft tissue (skin layers, fat, muscle, blood vessels, and nerves. The skin may appear charred and blotchy and the underlying tissue may appear white. Because of nerve damage, these burns may either be extremely painful or relatively painless.

Critical Burns

Certain burns, because of their size, location, or effect on the victim, are considered critical and require immediate medical attention. Critical burns include the following:

- Burns in the chest or back that result in breathing difficulty.

- Burns of any kind on the head, neck, both hands, both feet, or genitals.

- Burns caused by fire, chemicals, explosion, or electricity.

- Partial- or full-thickness burns covering more than 10% of the victim's body.

- Burns on a child or elderly person

Upon recognizing a critical burn, call 911 or the local emergency number.

Caring for Burns

Regardless of the burn type or classification, follow these general care steps for burns:

(1) Check the emergency scene for safety. Make sure whatever burned the victim will not burn you. Locate and avoid the heat source. If the burn is electrical, make sure the electricity has been turned off.

(2) Cool the burn by flushing the area with water. If the burn is caused by chemicals, stay on this step and continue flushing the burned area until emergency medical personnel arrive. If the burn is caused by electricity, do not cool; skip this step.

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT do any of the following to care for any burn:

- DO NOT apply heat or hot water to the burn.

- DO NOT apply butter, margarine, mayonnaise, etc. to the burn.

- DO NOT cool too quickly by using ice, rubbing alcohol, etc.

(3) After the burn is cooled, cover the burned area loosely with sterile gauze to reduce pain and prevent infection.

(4) Take steps to minimize shock, including maintaining normal body temperature, laying the victim down and raising the feet 12 inches, and reassuring the victim.

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