Electrical burns are a direct result of electric current passing through a body by coming into contact with a live electrical circuit. The effects of electrical burns are often unseen, due to internal damage.
The current causes the most damage where the electricity enters and exits your body.

When you are burned, your tissue gets damaged and begins to die. Your muscles, tendons, blood vessels, nerves, and bones may also get damaged. You may have a fast heartbeat, reddish urine, or be dizzy and confused. With treatment, you may have less pain, tissue damage, or infections caused by germs called bacteria. You may be able to return to work or your normal daily activities sooner than without treatment.

Treatment

Request assistance from trained medical personnel to quickly help the fallen victim. Time is of the essence here and could mean the survival of the victim.

Stay on the phone with emergency personnel until the ambulance arrives assist you. You may be able to assist them on the phone by relaying vital signs like if the victim is breathing and their pulse rate.

A good tip is to elevate their feet slightly above the head, but do not move the victim.

Treatment

Treatment for hydrofluoric acid burns includes basic life support and appropriate decontamination, followed by neutralization of the acid by use of calcium gluconate. If exposure occurs at an industrial site, obtain and transport any available treatment literature.

Assess and manage acute life threatening conditions in the usual manner. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel should use gloves, masks, and gowns, if necessary.

Remove soiled clothing. Initially decontaminate by irrigation with copious amounts of water.

Ice packs on the affected area may alleviate symptoms by retarding diffusion of the ion.

If calcium gluconate gel is available, apply liberally to the affected area.

For digital burns, if calcium gluconate gel is not available, the fingers may be soaked in magnesium hydroxide–containing antacid preparations (eg, Mylanta) en route to a medical facility. Retain gel/antacid in a latex glove if practicable, and the gloved hand may be immersed in iced water.

Treat inhalation injuries with oxygen and 2.5% calcium gluconate nebulizer.

Transport the patient to the nearest appropriate medical facility.

A chemical burn should be washed with large amounts of water. Take off any clothing that has the chemical on it. Don’t put anything on the burned area. This might start a chemical reaction that could make the burn worse.

As with electrical burns, chemical burns can be very damaging, and immediate medical attention should be sought.

You should determine the chemical that has caused the burn so that you can inform the healthcare professional upon receiving medical assistance.

Remove any affected clothing, and if you are dealing with a casualty, ensure that you are wearing appropriate protective clothing. If the chemical is in a dry form, you should brush it off the skin. Use running water to remove any traces of the chemical.

With chemical burns, it is very useful to bring the container along to A&E as it helps determine the causative chemical & aid treatment.

Treatment

Seek immediate medical attention if the burn area is larger than a 20c coin, or blistered!

Remove clothing over the burn area as clothes can hold in the heat and make the burn worse.

Remove any accessories over the burn area, as scalds quickly cause swelling.

Place the burn area in cool water or over running cool water for about 20 minutes, or longer. Cooling the burn area is very important as it prevents the heat from burning into the skin’s deeper layers.

After cooling the skin, cover the burn area with a clean, damp cotton cloth. This will help to reduce pain.

Raise burned limbs to increase blood circulation.

DO NOT

Do not peel off any clothing that is stuck to the burn.

Do not break any blisters

Do not use butter, oils, toothpaste, creams or ointments to cover the burn. The use of anesthetic creams or sprays is not recommended, since they may slow healing.

Chemical burns to the eye can be very serious. Early rinsing of the eye with cold water will help to flush away the chemical and reduce scarring.

Flash burns to the eye is caused by looking into very bright light, flash burns damage the surface of the cornea, the transparent front of the eyeball. Flash burns are like sunburn in the eye and can affect both your eyes. Your cornea can repair itself in one to two days and usually heals without leaving a scar. However, in some instances the damage (loss of vision) can be permanent! You should always seek immediate medical attention!

Treatment for chemical burns to the eye

1. Protect yourself, the casualty and bystanders from further contamination.

2. Hold the affected eye under cold running water for at least 10 minutes to flush out the chemical, allowing the injured person to blink periodically. You may need to hold the eyelid open. Make sure that the water flow is gentle. Do not allow contaminated water to fall across the good eye and so contaminate that eye also.

3. Ask the injured person to hold a non-fluffy sterile or clean pad across the eye, tying it in place if hospital treatment may be delayed.

4. Take or send the person to hospital with details of the chemical if possible.

Treatment for flash burns to the eye

Take or send the person to hospital as he will need medical attention.

Treatment

Treat the area the same as first degree minor burns.

Make sure the area of all blistering burns is less than the size of your palm. If larger, see a doctor.

If the blister is intact, leave it alone! The skin underneath the blister is actually healing while the blister protects it from further damage and infection. Use sterile white petrolatum or petroleum jelly and a light gauze wrap to protect it until it bursts on its own (this can take days).

Once burst, remove the collapsed skin from the blister with gentle washing and sterile tweezers.

Shave hair adjacent to the wound.

The raw, weeping skin under the blister must be protected after the blister bursts. Use Adaptic (Petrolatum gauze) for the non-stick first layer. Place dry gauze as a second layer to absorb moisture oozing from the raw surface beneath the first layer. This prevents breakdown of the skin from sogginess. Rolled gauze wrap is the final layer holding the others in place and limiting movement.

Change this dressing once or twice daily and wash gently with an anti-bacterial soap. This stops an unwanted thick membrane from forming on the raw burn surface and prevents infection.

Depending upon the size and depth of injury, you may need to continue the above process for 1-3 weeks. When the new skin beneath the dressings is dry (but not crusty or scabbed) and no longer stings to touch, you can stop the dressings. The new skin is pink, thin, and delicate. You may choose to protect it for another week with a single layer of gauze wrap until it is sturdier.

Anti-inflammatory medication helps control pain, swelling, and redness. They should be dosed around the clock, with longer acting brands preferable since awakening in the middle of the night with burn pain is common with shorter acting medicine.

Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Aleve) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Never give aspirin to children or teenagers.

DO NOT

Do not use ice. Ice application has been associated with frostbite and should be avoided.

Do not break blisters. Broken blisters are vulnerable to infection.

Do not wrap in an occlusive dressing.

Do not touch the burn site with dirty hands.

Treatment

Cool the burn area under running water for 10-30 minutes, ideally within 20 minutes of the injury happening. The running water will continually take heat away from the affected area.

For large burn area, you can use a shower, but always ensure that the shower is in cool setting and keep the water pressure low. High pressure or warm water will make the condition worse!

If water isn’t available, you can use milk or a non-fizzy soft drink.

DO NOT

Do not soak the wound in ice water. Ice application has been associated with frostbite and should be avoided.

Do not touch the burn area with dirty hands.