
Expert Advice: What to do for burn injuries
Transcript
Host Amber Smith: Here's some expert advice from Tamara Roberts from the Clark Burn Center at Upstate Medical University. What is the standard first aid for someone who has suffered a burn?
Tamara Roberts: Immediately stop that burning process. If they're on fire, they need to stop, drop, and roll to get that fire out. And then they need to cool it with lukewarm water. So if they have that ability, they need to, for at least five minutes, be cooling it with lukewarm water. Never use ice because ice actually can cause further injury to the tissues of the skin and make your burn worse. So we strongly discourage that. Then depending on how severe it is, they may need to go get treatment. If they have open tissue, or blistering, and it's a pretty big area, I would say if it's covering their entire forearm or even a hand that may be like a whiteish color, it could be very severe. It's better to go get checked out than to not get checked out. We have a number that they can call right here at Upstate. It's 315-464-1800, and push the button for burn clinic. And they can call and get an appointment scheduled right into the clinic. We have clinics four days a week. If they were to go to the emergency department, they would be assessed by our burn team right there in the emergency department, or one of the physicians trained in burns, and they would assess if they need to be admitted into the hospital, if they need further treatment, or if they can just follow up in the burn clinic. And they'll help them make that appointment.
Host Amber Smith: You've been listening to Tamara Roberts from the Clark Burn Center at Upstate Medical University.