Child Safety and Caregiving
With the summer in full swing and the Fourth of July around the corner, many children will be around campfires, fireworks, barbeques and other activities that have the potential to cause injuries including burns. It is important for parents and caregivers to know how to prevent and care for burns as well as to know when a burn needs medical attention.
There are four different levels or degrees of burns determined by severity. Each level of burn becomes more serious and is treated differently. Parents should know which level of burn they are dealing with before beginning treatment.
Child Health and Safety
"Burns to the hands and face need immediate medical attention. These injuries often seem minor but can be problematic for a long time. First degree burns are usually red and extremely painful but without blisters. They occasionally require medical attention due to the pain. Second degree burns, also called partial thickness burns, have blisters or a base that is red and moist. They are painful and can convert to third degree burns if not treated appropriately. The Arkansas Children's Hospital Burn Center is the best place for treatment of these burns," says William L. Hickerson, M.D., FACS, medical director of the Arkansas Children's Hospital Burn Center and of professor of surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine. "Third degree burns, also called full thickness burns, will not heal without skin grafting and fourth degree burns are into the bone or muscle. Third and fourth degree burns should be treated at the Burn Center."
To keep children safe this summer, Jimmy Parks, R.N. and outreach coordinator of the Arkansas Children's Hospital Burn Center recommends leaving fireworks to the experts.
"We strongly suggest attending a fireworks show approved by the fire marshal. Allowing children to play with fireworks is setting them up for burns or even more severe injuries. We have no safety precautions for children who use fireworks. Children using fireworks is dangerous and should not be allowed. To prevent fire deaths and burns, we try to teach children that fire is a tool, not a toy. When we give children fireworks we are sending mixed signals," says Parks.
Each year around the Fourth of July, the Burn Center sees several severe injuries caused by fireworks as well as many outpatients for smaller burns caused by fireworks.
"It only takes one second to get a burn from something that is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Even sparklers burn at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. It's hard to explain to a child why we can play with fire two days a year, but other times it is not okay. To help prevent injury, we should not allow children to play with fireworks," adds Parks.
While most firework burn injuries are small, they can be severe. Any burn that causes a blister or loss of skin could leave a scar. The most likely parts of the body to be burned by fireworks are the hands and face. Though these injuries are usually not deadly, they may leave scars that remain for a lifetime. Early, appropriate treatment could prevent or minimize scarring.
When a burn occurs, medical professionals at the Burn Center recommend the following:
- Flush the area with cool water for two to five minutes.
- Wrap it in a dry towel or sheet and seek medical attention if necessary.
- If you feel the injury is life-threatening or severe, call 911 immediately.
- All burn injuries should first be seen in your local Emergency Department. Their doctors will determine whether or not it should be treated in the Burn Center at Arkansas Children's Hospital.
- All electrical burns and any burn on the hand, foot, face or genitals should receive medical attention right away.
When treating a burn at home, watch for any increase in redness or swelling, or the development of a bad odor or discharge. These can be signs of infection, which will require medical attention.
"In addition to burns, we also see hand and eye injuries that occur from the explosion of fireworks. These often result in the loss of fingers and vision. So again, the best way to be safe and enjoy fireworks is to leave it to the professionals," says Hickerson.
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For more information about the Arkansas Children's Hospital Burn Center, go to http://www.archildrens.org/ Call (501) 364-5359 for more information about burn prevention or to schedule.