publication date: Jun 19, 2007
Results of a recent study of
burn injuries show that more than
half of ambulance call-outs relating to burn injuries
involve children less than 15 years of age and of these
70 per cent are infants
younger than two.
WaterJel Technologies, manufacturers of a range of
emergency burn treatment gels, dressings and bandages used by
hospitals and emergency services around the world, offers this
advice for the first aid
treatment of burns in the
home:
- If the burn is caused by contact with electrical current make sure you turn off the mains power first and then disconnect the local supply to the patient.
- For chemical burns, wash off the chemical completely and remember to remove any items like watches or socks that might retain liquid chemicals. Brush off powder chemicals carefully and then remove any residue under running water.
- Do not remove any clothing or foreign objects stuck to a burn injury but you can remove clothing around the area which may be retaining heat.
- Handle the burn injury as little as possible and never burst a blister.
- Do not put butter, grease, general first aid ointments or salves or dry dressings onto a burn injury. They will leave a residue that will have to be removed by the doctors which will be painful for the patient and could lead to scarring.
- Seek medical advice and attention as soon as possible.
Application
Sterile WaterJel dressings
ready-soaked in Burn Jel can be used over
burnt clothing or even over
hot fat or oil as the Burn Jel will
soak through to the burn and start the
process of
cooling, relieving the pain and
easing the subsequent removal of clothing by medical personnel.
For more
minor burns, apply a
generous layer of Burn Jel to the
affected area. Do
not rub in.
Leave on for at least
30 minutes and
reapply as often as
necessary.
Availability
The WaterJel Burn Jel range includes Burn Jel
pain relieving gel – a fast-acting, pain-relieving gel treatment that
cools and soothes burns – and the WaterJel Burn Jel
Emergency Burn Kit – including three individual Burn Jel sachets, an impregnated dressing and a bandage.
Available from the Lloyd’s Pharmacy chain and from independent pharmacies.
60ml pump dispenser retails at
£4.99
WaterJel Burn Jel
Emergency Burn Kit retails at
£5.99
A
leaflet and a small
sample of Burn Jel are
available by emailing childburns@waterjel.net
