NURS 2208 Burns Study Guide Latest Updated
Anatomical review:
• Epidermis is the nonvascular outer layer of the skin
o Skin cells originate from the basement membrane
o Replaces every 30 days
o Epidermis contains ep
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NURS 2208 Burns Study Guide Latest Updated
Anatomical review:
• Epidermis is the nonvascular outer layer of the skin
o Skin cells originate from the basement membrane
o Replaces every 30 days
o Epidermis contains epithelial cells, which are responsible for regeneration of the skin
• Dermis is the lower layer of the skin – is often called the true skin –
o it houses blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, sweat glands, sebaceous (oil) glands, sensory and motor
nerve endings
o The Dermis can regenerate itself after external exposure, provides strength (connective tissue and fibers), nerves can feel heat/cold pain/pressure, capillary exchange of nutrients for waste occurs in the dermis.
• Subcutaneous – adipose tissue and fascia (a band of connective tissue)
o it lies above the muscles, tendons, bones, and internal organs
o adipose tissue insulates, cushions, stores energy, and is normally white or yellow in color
• Functions include:
o Protection, Heat regulation, sensory perception, homeostasis regulation, Vit. D metabolism
Goals in burns:
• Prevention #1 (through education)
• Instituting life saving measures (education on initial steps people can take outside of the hospital)
• Prevention of disability and disfigurement through Fast, specialized & individualized care (no burn is the same)
Types of burns:
• Thermal (heat)
o Direct contact with flame, flash scold, or contact with hot object
▪ Flame (gas stove)
▪ Flash (welding)
▪ Scold (hot object/liquid)
▪ Object: electric stove
▪ Severity depends on temperature and duration
• Chemical
o Contact with acids, alkalis, organics
▪ Acids (Clorox, bleach)
▪ Alkali (dry cement powder, oven and drain cleaners, heavy industrial cleaners)Harder to manage
▪ Organics (phenols, gasoline) - Creates burn then systemic process
o #1 is to get ALL chemicals off! Must remove clothes!
o Injury can continue up to 72 hours, does not stop at removal.
o Why are alkalis harder to treat? When looking to neutralize alkalis, it is a harder process. (can’t add acids)
• Electrical:
o Results from intense heat generated by electrical current.
o Nerves and vessels great conductors of electricity
▪ Anoxia and death of tissues ensues.
o 2 injury sites. Entrance and exit. From a nursing standpoint, we cannot determine which point is the entry/exit.
o Can stop your heart, can produce fibrillation, dysrhythmias. cardiac output & Perfusion!!!!
▪ We are not able to immediately assess other damage caused by the current.
▪ Heart monitor and EKG! Troponin, F&E, ABGs Pao2, pH.
• involuntary muscle contraction causing fractures potentially and can also cause skin tears. Also, falls?
• Liver damage? Check lipid panel, Kidneys? Bun and creat. GI? Stools blood? Hard stools? Dehydration?
• Severity depends on voltage, level of tissue resistance, pathway it took, area affected, and how long contact.
o Fatty areas offer the most resistance, opposed to nerves and blood vessels. (hands worst)
• Myoglobinurea – Metabolic acidosis occurring from electrical injury, broken hemoglobin and rbcs pieces from tissue damage/death leads to clots/obstruction causing acute kidney injury tints urine red. Most common in electrical injury, but can occur in any burn. FLUIDS help flush out!
• Smoke Inhalation injuries
o Hot air or noxious chemicals inhaled, causing damage to airway (trachea, oropharynx all the way to lung lining)
o Huge predictor of mortality in burn pts. (if lining is damaged, no perfusion or gas exchange) (intubate)
o Signs and symptoms
▪ Reddened area around nose/mouth, singed nose/facial hairs, sut in nares/mouth, sob, cough
▪ Smoke inhalation injuries can deteriorate up to 48 hours after injury. 100% humidified o2
o Firefighters, first responders, people who lock themselves in the closet during fires, etc. or open spaces
• Lower airway
o Trachea, bronchioles, alveoli. (think oxygenation) longer around fire/enclosed area, more damage
o Pulmonary edema 12-48 injuries after. Admit patient
o SOB, Pulse ox, wheezing, crackles, singed facial/nose hair. ^RR, ^HR, restlessness, confusion, AMS
• Upper airway
o Mouth, oropharynx, larynx.
▪ Swelling may be massive and quick AIRWAY! INTUBATION BEFORE SWELLING
▪ Early signs difficulty swallowing, often clearing throat, ^ secretions mouth, drooling from inability to swallow. Start to hear stridor! Oh shit!
• Metabolic asphyxiation
o Oxygenation delivery impaired due to inhalation of CO or Hydrogen cyanide
o CO is magnetic to hemoglobin, kicks O2 right off.
▪ Systemic hypoxia! (metabolic asphyxiation) – EMERGENT!
▪ Fix with 100% FiO2 humidified (usually intubated because other inhalation injury common)
▪ If it is JUST carbon monoxide, it is not a burn injury
▪ You will see anatomical damage to airway if you see metabolic asphyxiation
• Remember you may not see a physical burn. YOU CANT SEE IT ALL!
Classification of burns: should they go to burn center?
• Severity depends on depth of burn
• Extent of burn in TBSA
• Location of burn – Hands are less important than the face.
• Patient risk factors Infection, Nerve damage, shock. & pre-existing conditions. Diabetes? Heart failure?
Depth of burns
• Superficial partial thickness 1st degree
o Involving epidermis – Erythema, blanching, slight swelling. 10-14 day heal time (ex. Sunburn) mild pain
• Deep partial thickness 2nd degree
o Blistering is the key differentiator. Red blistered painful and swollen moderate pain
• Full thickness 3rd degree
o Hair follicles and sweat glands destroyed. Burn site appears white or charred. Subcutaneous involvement (fat
involvement) [may require graft] Contracture and functionality risk extreme pain
• Full thickness 4th degree
o Epidermis and dermis, plus damage to bones, tissues, tendons. NO PAIN. Requires grafting, flap or amputation
Zone of burn injury
• Zone of coagulation – no reversal
• Zone of stasis – damage reversible, but very time sensitive
o Can go DEEPER and wider with time
o Need immediate fluid replacement and wound care
• Zone of hyperemia
o Outermost layer
o Reddening and minor swelling due to vasodilation. Still injured
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• The more zone of coagulation, the worst
• More zone of stasis, work FAST… or it’ll turn into coagulation
• Think red light coag, yellow light stasis, green hyperemia
Location
• Face/neck/chest
o Face and neck – Interference with breathing. Swelling can cause airway obstruction
o Chest – limiting expansion due to scar tissue and burn injury
o ***be concerned about inhalation injuries!!***
• Hands/feet/eyes/joints
o Comes down to functionality
• Ears/nose/perineum/buttocks
o INFECTION RISK!
o Ears and nose are thin and take a LONG time to heal
• Circumferential burns
o Around the whole limb, affecting blood flow to distal part!
o Swelling can create obstruction! Check pedal pulses, cap refill, color, temp, sesation
Risk Factors:
• Heart – lower cardiac output, decreased compensatory rate r/t BP. bad perfusion = bad healing
• Lung – Bad gas exchange = poor wound healing
• Diabetes – poor vasculature…
• ^ metabolic and calorie need – but no sugar! Bad wound healing
• Drug and alcohol use certain drugs vasoconstrict. Watch for withdrawl! Predisposed to infection, seizures.
o Alcohol abusers – poor nutrition to begin with, body is already at an increased demand
• Gerontologic patients
o More comorbidities
o Decreased mobility, decreased sensation
o Hearing/vision issues (unable to hear or see fire warnings)
• Pneumonia common complication, burn and graft donor sites take longer to heal, surgical procedures are not well tolerated
Physiologic changes
• Burns less than 20 TBSA in adults = primarily local response
• Burns more than 20 TBSA in adults = local and systemic response
o Cytokines – proteins secreted by the lymph cells affecting cellular activity and inflammatory response
o Fluid shifts and shock result in tissue hypoperfusion and organ hypofunction. From intervascular to interstitial
▪ This edema peaks 24-36 hours after injury
▪ Body starts to protect vital organs… leaves kidneys, etc with low perfusion – Elevated BUN and Creat, UO Pancreas – High blood glucose
• LESS than 40, 25% of TBSA is a MAJOR burn
• MORE than 40, 20% is major
Body response
• Elevated core body temperature – increases metabolic and fluid demand even more! Cool them down! Cooling blanket!
• GI – Paralytic ileus. Curlings ulcers – causes ^ permeability releasing gut bacteria into body ^ risk infection. Flank and back injuries, ^ pressure in abdominal cavity leading to compartment syndrome.
• Metabolism
o Initial phase – Decreased cardiac output, decreased O2 consumption, low metabolic rate (gets energy from muscles and stored fat), metabolic acidosis, ^ lactic acid rhabdo causing muscle breakdown.
o 5 days after, body kicks in to hypermetabolic state
▪ Body goes into overdrive, needs about 5k calories a day. Elevated temp, diaphoresis, ^HR, ^RR,
▪ ^ Glucose from hypermetabolic state – healing issue!
Inhalation injuries:
• Decreased o2, poor perfusion
• Diagnosed with bronchoscopy
• Look for alterations in ABG, black sut, necrosis in airway
• Supportive measures
o Protect airway, 100% humidified o2. Cough & deep breath often. Reposition patient, mobilize patient. ORAL CARE!
o Listen to patient talk! Helps recognize deterioriation in that 48 hour period
Carbon monoxide poisoning
• CO replaces o2 on hemoglobin, causing hypoxia 200% more likely to hitch a ride on hemoglobin than o2
• Headache, weak and lethargy, confusion, AMS, N/V, gross motor function affected
• At 50% carboxyhemoglobin level, patients start to get seizures, coma, etc
• Treat carbon monoxide poisioning with 100% FiO2, in hyperbaric chamber for bad cases.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning does not always accompany a burn injury Byproduct of fire
• “cherry red cheeks”
• Half life CO 3-4 hours, with 100% o2, 30 minutes. Mask or nonrebreather, 15 mins with hyperbaric chamber
Plan for rehabilitation starts the day of the burn injury
• Emergent phase, fluid resuscitation
• Acute phase – Wound healing
• Rehab – Physical and psychosocial
Pre-hospital care:
Scene safety, extinguish fire, remove burn substance off patient ABCCC – Airway, breathing, circulation, C-Spine, Cardiac Remove clothes and start oxygen and large bore IVs
Good history witness recount? Electrical injuries
• Remove patient from contact with source Chemical injuries
• Brush solid particles off skin, remove clothes, water lavage! Risk for further tissue destruction for up to 72 hours Small thermal burns
• Cool within 1 minute to help minimize the depth of injury Large thermal burns
• MAJOR burn causing systemic effect
• No immerse in cool water or pack with ice because causes hypothermia and vasoconstriction! We want dilation!
• Give clean dry blanket to keep patient warm Inhalation injury
• First responders are trained to look for signs of inhalation injuries.
o They are trained to intubate if needed
Emergent Care
• AIRWAY FIRST
• Fluid resuscitation is begun (goal – within 1 hour)
o Fluid shifts can happen for 24-36 hours
o Normal fluid shift expected 30-50mL/hr. 200-400 for severely burned
o 2 large bore IVs, Lactated ringers.
• Fluid given en route must be calculated for!
• Pain management - Morphine
• Monitor I&O. Foley inserted, NG tube, EKG for electrical burn injuries
• Patho
o Neutrophils and monocytes accumulate at side of injury
o Fibroblasts and collagen fibrils begin wound repair within 6 to 12 hours after injury
o Immunologic
▪ Immune system is challenged when burn injury occurs. Skin barrier destroyed, bone marrow depressed, Circulating levels of immune globulins are decreased, WBCs develop defects
Respiratory issues
• Acute tubule necrosis – hemoglobin from rbc, myoglobin, etc breakdown travel to kidneys and block renal tubules
o Fixed with fluid resuscitation
Cardiac issues
• Dysrhythmia
• Cardio “Sludging” fixed with fluids
PARKLAND FORMULA
***4 X (KG) X TBSA They get 1/2 of this total In the first 8 hours, 1/4 of total in next 8, 1/4 in the next 8. *** Given over 24 hours… example – 1,000mL 500mL first 8 hours, then 250 then 25
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