Question re: Burn Healing

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

I don't know all the details but a woman from a cooking bulletin board posed this question to me and I'm not familiar enough with burns to give her an answer. Anyone out there a burn nurse? I have asked her if they did skin grafts and am waiting for a response on the BB. Here is her story:

"August the 26th my 3 y/o grandson was in Dillard's (large dept. store) going down the escaltor. He was holding his mothers hand and his foot turned. He stuck his had out to catch himself and the hand rail pulled his hand in.

Had his Mother not had a firm grip on him and I hit the emergency button I shudder to think how much damage would have been done. We went to the emergency room (I drove them) and set there for 5 hours. He had a third degree friction burn.

The skin is still very red and tender. We have not settled with the store as I am arfaid he will need more surgery. All we want are the medical bills paid.

My question--how long do you think it will be before the skin heals? I have taken him to his Dr. and he tells me it looks fine. Fine it is not. Do you have any any ideas on how to find out about this or do you know?"

Thanks for your help.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I hate escalators! That story literally had me cringing and drawing horrible pictures in my mind. I have no answers for you though...sorry.

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Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Med-Surg.

"The skin is still very red and tender. We have not settled with the store as I am arfaid he will need more surgery. All we want are the medical bills paid. "

Tell her "Don't be foolish." If it happened to him, it can happen to anyone his size who rides that kind of escalator. No changes will be made to the design absent a legal settlement against the company (and the store). She needs to get legal advice STAT. The statute of limitations will run out before too much longer.

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I have no burn nursing experience either but ...

When my youngest (now 18) was 2 he put his hand on the wood stove (we were poor, it was winter and it was use it or freeze), he had 3rd degree burns over the entire left palm and fingers...somehow he didn't burn the thumb luckily, it was his sucking thumb. No skin grafts, healed with silvadene and DSD, took about 3 months for the skin to grow over it and probably an other 9 months to look "normal" (and it does). Same (dumb) kid was screwing around with charcoal lighter fluid at 14 and set the same darn hand on fire...3rd degree burns over 2/3 of the back of it...again no grafts, same treatment and time frames.

So in *my* opinion if the skin is red, shiny and fragile but intact after 5 months it is healing well. It can take a very long time for the skin to toughen up and fade in color.

BTW...I got 21 stitches in the bottom of my foot when I was 11 from an escalator at the Bon Marche in Seattle, WA...I wasn't paying attention & caught the toe of my salt water sandal in the lip where it goes under.

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Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

Thanks for the input. I have since learned that the burn is the size of a silver dollar and only the very center of it was third degree. I will pass along your info. Thanks again!

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Every year a certain number of children or adults get hurt on escalators. I have been hearing these stories since I was a kid. They seem to come in batches. One wonders if there is not a way to make them safer. The last time I was at horse races an elderly woman's shoe laces got caught in the steps of an escalator and she feel and broke her hip.

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I don't think this kid needs any kinda surgery. Some Silvadene BID should heal that up in a few months. How scary though! Lucky he didn't lose his hand!

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Specializes in MS Home Health.

I floated to burn unit when I worked at the hospital. I agree with Dawn but always consult your physician.

renerian

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