Cristina Yang (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deaddadsclub) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2018-10-02 11:38 pm
deaddadsclub) wrote in fandomhigh2018-10-02 11:38 pm
Entry tags:
Humanoid Health and First Aid, Wednesday, Period 1
Cristina was leaning back in the teacher's chair at the front of the classroom program in the Danger Shop, today, spinning slowly left and right, her hands propped behind her head as she looked up at the ceiling.
She hadn't slept well. Kept dreaming about people from Seattle. And, like, giant vehicles.
Look, you have a friend literally get hit by a bus and you started to worry about things like giant vehicles, okay?
"Burns," she said, sounding outwardly like she was nothing more than slightly bored. She spun towards the students and sat up. "Specifically the thermal kind. A couple of you handled some chemical burns last week without being too stupid about it, so if you're wondering about that and have not yet developed the skills to accurately google things, ask Gothy or Mama to help you out." She shot Nell a smirkassuming she was there. "Congrats, kid, you graduated names. Don't screw it up by turning into an idiot now."
She dimmed the lights and started up her projector, displaying a rather garishly colored illustration of the layers of human skin. "Burns are categorized by how far the damage has penetrated the skin. As you can see, there's a few layers before you get to the really gooey stuff. Skin is generally a lot tougher and harder to break than people think; it actually does a really good job of protecting all that gooey stuff from things like heat. It's usually going to take prolonged contact with a heat source — or, say, being actually set on fire — for it to really penetrate deep.
"When it comes to burns, we talk about them by degrees. You've all probably at least heard of these by now, unless you're actually living under a rock." Her dreams wanted her to go touch a rock. Yeah, like she was falling for the 'go out in to the wooooooods' trick again. "A first degree burn means that the heat damage has only penetrated the top layer of the skin, or the epidermis. Most sunburn is going to fall into this category, as well as, like, quick contact burns from steam or accidentally touching your curling iron before it's cooled off properly. A first degree burn is usually going to involve redness of the skin, maybe a little bit of swelling, and some pain. It's going to suck for awhile while it heals, but you're probably not going to even end up with a scar. It's like — a baby burn, basically.
"Second degree burns, or 'partial-thickness' burns, are when the heat damage has reached the dermis layer. This is where you're going to see deep red, shiny skin, and usually some sort of blistering. If you don't manage to remove the heat source right away, or it's particularly hot, you're likely to be looking at these. You'll notice the dermis is pretty thick, so the severity of a second degree burn can vary; if it's not too deep and doesn't get infected, it can heal up pretty cleanly. If it goes most of the way through the dermis, you're looking at scarring and potentially a permanent color change to your skin.
"Third degree burns are also known as 'full-thickness' burns. That's when the heat damage goes all the way through the dermis into the hypodermis, where more of your fatty tissues, sweat glands, and nerves are. With third degree burns, you're looking severe tissue discoloration, with the skin actually blackening, or sometimes looking pale, pale white or even yellow. You're also probably going to get a lack of pain in these cases, as the burn may have damaged or killed off the nerve cells. Your patient is also probably going to go into shock. The body does not like it when the skin gets burned straight through.
"I'd say the odds of you seeing a fourth degree burn in your daily lives outside an ER is going to be low, but apparently that's 'tempting fate' and just daring the island to screw with you." Seriously, she'd managed to go from a cursed hospital to a cursed island. What even was her life? "Fourth degree is when the heat damage is so severe that it's penetrated past the hypodermis and is into the muscle, organs, or bone." She sighed. "Honestly, with a burn that severe, if you're not able to get them to the hospital immediately, you're best off just trying to make them as comfortable as you can before they go. I've seen some of these injuries. I'm . . . really hoping none of you ever have to."
Cristina shook her head, physically throwing off the serious moment. "So! With all that said, how do you treat it? First thing: determine the severity. For first and second degree burns, you want to soothe the area with cool — not cold, and not freezing — water, preferably under a running faucet, though you can use a cool wet compress if running water isn't available. Once the pain has lessened, you can gently bandage the area with sterile gauze large enough to cover the entire burn without sticking to anything. So no bandaids, unless it's a really small burn. You don't want to let anything get stuck to the burned tissue. Especially with second degree or higher, that's a great way to have that tissue tear right off with whatever bandage you've applied when you remove it. You also don't want to put any cream or anything on it unless you're prescribed some by a doctor — you definitely shouldn't put butter or anything you grabbed out of your fridge on it. That's a great way to get an infection.
"If the burn is first or second degree, small, and not in a particularly sensitive area, and the victim is someone who can be trusted to keep it clean and watch out for infections as it heals, then that's all you need to do. If you're looking at blistering that's more than about two inches in diameter or that severe discoloration I was talking about with a third degree burn, get them to a doctor. Honestly, if you have any doubts at all about how well the burn is going to heal, find a doctor. You're way better off being teased by the medical staff for overreacting than having a burn get infected on you and possibly go septic. Or ending up with permanent damage that could have been avoided by having it treated by someone with medical training."
The lights came back up, and instead of a few victims appearing for treatment, this time a fire alarm went off. Lights flashed in time to the blaring alarm, the sprinkler system went off, and the sound of running feet could be heard in the hallway — the holographic hallway, opposite the real door the students had come in through.
"And looks like we've got ourselves a fire!" Cristina sounded far too cheerful about that. "First aid kits are on the desk. Grab one, and go see if anyone got burned."
She hadn't slept well. Kept dreaming about people from Seattle. And, like, giant vehicles.
Look, you have a friend literally get hit by a bus and you started to worry about things like giant vehicles, okay?
"Burns," she said, sounding outwardly like she was nothing more than slightly bored. She spun towards the students and sat up. "Specifically the thermal kind. A couple of you handled some chemical burns last week without being too stupid about it, so if you're wondering about that and have not yet developed the skills to accurately google things, ask Gothy or Mama to help you out." She shot Nell a smirk
She dimmed the lights and started up her projector, displaying a rather garishly colored illustration of the layers of human skin. "Burns are categorized by how far the damage has penetrated the skin. As you can see, there's a few layers before you get to the really gooey stuff. Skin is generally a lot tougher and harder to break than people think; it actually does a really good job of protecting all that gooey stuff from things like heat. It's usually going to take prolonged contact with a heat source — or, say, being actually set on fire — for it to really penetrate deep.
"When it comes to burns, we talk about them by degrees. You've all probably at least heard of these by now, unless you're actually living under a rock." Her dreams wanted her to go touch a rock. Yeah, like she was falling for the 'go out in to the wooooooods' trick again. "A first degree burn means that the heat damage has only penetrated the top layer of the skin, or the epidermis. Most sunburn is going to fall into this category, as well as, like, quick contact burns from steam or accidentally touching your curling iron before it's cooled off properly. A first degree burn is usually going to involve redness of the skin, maybe a little bit of swelling, and some pain. It's going to suck for awhile while it heals, but you're probably not going to even end up with a scar. It's like — a baby burn, basically.
"Second degree burns, or 'partial-thickness' burns, are when the heat damage has reached the dermis layer. This is where you're going to see deep red, shiny skin, and usually some sort of blistering. If you don't manage to remove the heat source right away, or it's particularly hot, you're likely to be looking at these. You'll notice the dermis is pretty thick, so the severity of a second degree burn can vary; if it's not too deep and doesn't get infected, it can heal up pretty cleanly. If it goes most of the way through the dermis, you're looking at scarring and potentially a permanent color change to your skin.
"Third degree burns are also known as 'full-thickness' burns. That's when the heat damage goes all the way through the dermis into the hypodermis, where more of your fatty tissues, sweat glands, and nerves are. With third degree burns, you're looking severe tissue discoloration, with the skin actually blackening, or sometimes looking pale, pale white or even yellow. You're also probably going to get a lack of pain in these cases, as the burn may have damaged or killed off the nerve cells. Your patient is also probably going to go into shock. The body does not like it when the skin gets burned straight through.
"I'd say the odds of you seeing a fourth degree burn in your daily lives outside an ER is going to be low, but apparently that's 'tempting fate' and just daring the island to screw with you." Seriously, she'd managed to go from a cursed hospital to a cursed island. What even was her life? "Fourth degree is when the heat damage is so severe that it's penetrated past the hypodermis and is into the muscle, organs, or bone." She sighed. "Honestly, with a burn that severe, if you're not able to get them to the hospital immediately, you're best off just trying to make them as comfortable as you can before they go. I've seen some of these injuries. I'm . . . really hoping none of you ever have to."
Cristina shook her head, physically throwing off the serious moment. "So! With all that said, how do you treat it? First thing: determine the severity. For first and second degree burns, you want to soothe the area with cool — not cold, and not freezing — water, preferably under a running faucet, though you can use a cool wet compress if running water isn't available. Once the pain has lessened, you can gently bandage the area with sterile gauze large enough to cover the entire burn without sticking to anything. So no bandaids, unless it's a really small burn. You don't want to let anything get stuck to the burned tissue. Especially with second degree or higher, that's a great way to have that tissue tear right off with whatever bandage you've applied when you remove it. You also don't want to put any cream or anything on it unless you're prescribed some by a doctor — you definitely shouldn't put butter or anything you grabbed out of your fridge on it. That's a great way to get an infection.
"If the burn is first or second degree, small, and not in a particularly sensitive area, and the victim is someone who can be trusted to keep it clean and watch out for infections as it heals, then that's all you need to do. If you're looking at blistering that's more than about two inches in diameter or that severe discoloration I was talking about with a third degree burn, get them to a doctor. Honestly, if you have any doubts at all about how well the burn is going to heal, find a doctor. You're way better off being teased by the medical staff for overreacting than having a burn get infected on you and possibly go septic. Or ending up with permanent damage that could have been avoided by having it treated by someone with medical training."
The lights came back up, and instead of a few victims appearing for treatment, this time a fire alarm went off. Lights flashed in time to the blaring alarm, the sprinkler system went off, and the sound of running feet could be heard in the hallway — the holographic hallway, opposite the real door the students had come in through.
"And looks like we've got ourselves a fire!" Cristina sounded far too cheerful about that. "First aid kits are on the desk. Grab one, and go see if anyone got burned."