What can be done to prevent burn accidents in young children?

Burn accidents in children can occur in daily life. To prevent burns in young children, families need to supervise their children carefully and keep them away from sources of burns.

Situations that easily lead to burn accidents.

Children hospitalized with burns are most commonly between 9 and 24 months old. At this age, children are very active, playing and crawling, easily knocking over objects that can cause burns, such as bowls of soup or thermos flasks of hot water.

DOCUMENTS FROM THE BRITISH RED CROSS

Among the burn patients being treated at the Burn Department of Xanh Pôn General Hospital is a young boy who was burned when his mother was carrying a plastic bag of hot pho broth and he accidentally knocked it over, causing a burn on his right leg. He received proper and timely first aid at home, so when he arrived at the hospital, the burn was not deep, and treatment was successful.

In addition, there are other burn-causing situations that require attention, such as the case of the boy who was burned after putting his hand into a bowl of hot porridge while his mother left the bowl on the table to cool. Burns in this situation are easily deep due to thin skin and the prolonged contact time with the hot porridge.

Steam burns from electric rice cookers are also common in young children because they put their hands into the steam that escapes when the rice boils. Steam burns from electric rice cookers are often very deep burns, causing contracture scarring.

In the home, appliances like electric kettles can easily cause burns, as children may knock them over when hot water is inside, resulting in burns to their feet and hands.

Proper first aid

When a child is unfortunately burned, adults and caregivers need to provide proper first aid to prevent the burn from becoming more severe.

First, remove the burning agent from the affected area, then rinse with cool water for 15 minutes, then cover the burn with clean, sterile gauze and transport the patient to the nearest medical facility.

5 steps for first aid when a child suffers a heat burn.

Step 1: Cool the burn with clean water. Immediately place the burned area of ​​your child's skin under clean water to cool it down for about 15-20 minutes. Use tap water, gently rinsing the skin. Do not use ice or very cold water to apply to the burn.

Step 2: Ensure proper ventilation of the burn. Quickly remove any jewelry or accessories (bracelets, anklets, etc.) and clothing from the child before they become stuck to the burn.

Step 3: Clean the wound. Absolutely do not apply any creams, fish sauce, egg whites, etc., to the burn. Always keep the burn clean.

Step 4: For children with minor burns: After administering first aid with water, the child can be kept at home to allow the skin to heal naturally and monitored for signs of infection.

Step 5: For children with severe burns (levels 2 and 3): If the child's burn involves skin loss, after first aid with water, the child should be taken to the hospital. The burn should be covered with clean plastic wrap to limit infection (see photo). Plastic wrap is chosen because it is a non-stick material. Regular cotton towels and gauze easily absorb burn fluids and stick tightly to the wound.

(Source: Survival Skills Vietnam)

In unfortunate burn situations, children need prompt and proper first aid by cooling the burn wound with clean water to prevent deeper burns. Incorrect initial first aid can easily lead to deeper burns, making treatment more difficult.

Please note that the water used to cool burns should be clean water, such as tap water, and ideally around 20 degrees Celsius. Do not use cold water or ice packs as this will cause further damage.

Avoid applying traditional medicine, toothpaste, or fish sauce to burn wounds, as this can easily lead to secondary infections and make treatment more difficult.

To prevent burns in children, keep them away from potential burn hazards such as stoves and appliances like electric kettles, hot soup pots, and rice cookers.

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