PEDIATRICS Vol. 52 No. 3 September 1973, pp. 430-432
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Epstein, M. F.
Right arrow Articles by Crawford, J. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Epstein, M. F.
Right arrow Articles by Crawford, J. D.

COOLING IN THE EMERGENCY TREATMENT OF BURNS

Michael F. Epstein M.D.1 and John D. Crawford M.D.1

1 Shriners Burns Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Recent correspondence in the Lancet1-3 has called attention to the benefit of immediate cooling in the treatment of thermal injuries. This simple form of first aid can be provided as well by the layman as by the health professional and, more importantly, sooner. Given the same thermal stimulus, prompt cooling can mean the difference between extensive deep burns and more limited superficial injuries.

What is the evidence to back this claim? The studies of Henriques and Moritz4 and Ofeigsson5 indicate that after hot water or flame exposure the temperature of skin and of the deeper tissue layers remains high enough to result in a period of extension of coagulation necrosis.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Emerg. Med. J.Home page
T J Coats, C Edwards, R Newton, and E Staun
The effect of gel burns dressings on skin temperature
Emerg. Med. J., May 1, 2002; 19(3): 224 - 225.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]