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fandomhigh2014-01-22 02:14 pm
legendaryhands.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2014-01-22 02:14 pm
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Emergency Medical Situations, Wednesday, Period 1
The fact that there was a fire drill early this morning was a coincidence--but made the topic for the day more poignant, or made it seem like McCoy was rubbing it in that they had to wake up in the middle of the night.
"Burns! One of those squirrels told me when I was doing radio that a student thought it was a good idea to grab a hot sandwich off a pan without a spatula--so at least one of your fellows is an idiot who needs your help."
That was harsh.
There was a screen up at the front of the class, but none of the images used would be real burns--McCoy didn't want to disgust his students.
"Doctors sort burns into 6 degrees--fifth and sixth degree burns go straight to the bone and are more often than not are diagnosed during an autopsy--not much you can do for those. Fourth degree burns are mostly fatal, too, and will require real doctoring immediately. We'll focus on third, second, and first degree burns today."
He pulled up an diagram of first degree burns. It showed redness on the epidermis, but not much deeper tissue damage.
"First degree burns are simple enough--run it under cold water, and use a cream like aloe if you have it. We'll look at common plants in a later week. Wrap it up in a soft cloth--gauze if it is available. When running it under the cold water, don't let the water pressure get too high--the friction of it if it is too harsh will just irritate the burn more. "
He clicked to the next diagram, showing a more blistery epidermis and a little deeper damage.
"You can tell a second degree burn if it looks shiny or moist. Second degree burn treatments are much the same, but instead of running water over it, submerge it in water. Leave it there for close to five minutes. Do not pop any of the blisters or peel at the skin if it starts coming off. It may start to itch, or even cause phantom itches near the burn. Avoid touching it, especially with dirty hands. Second degree burns are a bit deeper in the tissue, and getting an infection is much more likely."
He went to his final image. This one showed a diagram of a pretty severe third degree burn , with the epidermis blackened and the damage extending through the entire dermis.
"Third degree burns look leathery and dry. They won't hurt so much as the other two, but don't think that means anything good. The nerves have sustained serious damage. These burns will take at least three weeks to heal even a little on their own, and the worst will need skin grafts. For the time right after the burn, your best bet is to expose the burn--remove any clothing around it. Submerge the burn in cold water, but be very gentle--the nerve damage means they won't feel it if there's more damage done to the area. Third degree burns need treatment in a hospital and possibly grafting, even. But keeping it clean is absolutely necessary to keeping the person from dying of infection right now."
McCoy tossed a roll of gauze to someone sitting in the front row. "Class activity is wrapping a hypothetical burn. Gauze wrapping is an art--too tight or too loose and the rubbing on the wound or the slowing of circulation will make it worse. Make each other into mummies--wrapping a difficult area like an elbow yields more points. Don't be shy--really get in there and treat your patient."
[Wait for OCD! OCD is up! The linked images are pretty simply drawn diagrams, but if you're extra squeamish or have a visual imagination, don't click through!]
"Burns! One of those squirrels told me when I was doing radio that a student thought it was a good idea to grab a hot sandwich off a pan without a spatula--so at least one of your fellows is an idiot who needs your help."
That was harsh.
There was a screen up at the front of the class, but none of the images used would be real burns--McCoy didn't want to disgust his students.
"Doctors sort burns into 6 degrees--fifth and sixth degree burns go straight to the bone and are more often than not are diagnosed during an autopsy--not much you can do for those. Fourth degree burns are mostly fatal, too, and will require real doctoring immediately. We'll focus on third, second, and first degree burns today."
He pulled up an diagram of first degree burns. It showed redness on the epidermis, but not much deeper tissue damage.
"First degree burns are simple enough--run it under cold water, and use a cream like aloe if you have it. We'll look at common plants in a later week. Wrap it up in a soft cloth--gauze if it is available. When running it under the cold water, don't let the water pressure get too high--the friction of it if it is too harsh will just irritate the burn more. "
He clicked to the next diagram, showing a more blistery epidermis and a little deeper damage.
"You can tell a second degree burn if it looks shiny or moist. Second degree burn treatments are much the same, but instead of running water over it, submerge it in water. Leave it there for close to five minutes. Do not pop any of the blisters or peel at the skin if it starts coming off. It may start to itch, or even cause phantom itches near the burn. Avoid touching it, especially with dirty hands. Second degree burns are a bit deeper in the tissue, and getting an infection is much more likely."
He went to his final image. This one showed a diagram of a pretty severe third degree burn , with the epidermis blackened and the damage extending through the entire dermis.
"Third degree burns look leathery and dry. They won't hurt so much as the other two, but don't think that means anything good. The nerves have sustained serious damage. These burns will take at least three weeks to heal even a little on their own, and the worst will need skin grafts. For the time right after the burn, your best bet is to expose the burn--remove any clothing around it. Submerge the burn in cold water, but be very gentle--the nerve damage means they won't feel it if there's more damage done to the area. Third degree burns need treatment in a hospital and possibly grafting, even. But keeping it clean is absolutely necessary to keeping the person from dying of infection right now."
McCoy tossed a roll of gauze to someone sitting in the front row. "Class activity is wrapping a hypothetical burn. Gauze wrapping is an art--too tight or too loose and the rubbing on the wound or the slowing of circulation will make it worse. Make each other into mummies--wrapping a difficult area like an elbow yields more points. Don't be shy--really get in there and treat your patient."
[
Re: Class Activity: Burn Wrapping [1/22]
He used the crutch to hook a chair and drag it over for him to sit on. "Here. Hold out your arm, and prepare to be mummified."
Re: Class Activity: Burn Wrapping [1/22]
"Apparently not subtle enough," Bay said ruefully, and held out her arm for him to wrap. "Just don't cut off my circulation. I like having feeling in my fingers."
Re: Class Activity: Burn Wrapping [1/22]
Re: Class Activity: Burn Wrapping [1/22]
Re: Class Activity: Burn Wrapping [1/22]
"Ouch!" he hissed, empathizing with her story. "The sweet spot's hard to hit -- you'd think if you were dating him he'd give you a little leeway on that." Joker shrugged. "...Unless you were only with him out of pity. Pretty girls with too much pity? A disaster waiting to happen."
Re: Class Activity: Burn Wrapping [1/22]
Re: Class Activity: Burn Wrapping [1/22]
Joker made a bit of a mess of the elbow, adding too many layers in order to make sure every bit was covered, and then stopped. "You know, I have no idea how much we're supposed to do. Call it good and switch?"
Re: Class Activity: Burn Wrapping [1/22]