Friction burns of the dorsum of the hand, road traffic accident, motorbikes and accidents, 2nd degree and 3rd degree burns

Motorbikes and two wheelers are accident prone vehicles when compared to four wheel vehicles which have great stability due to their four point  ground contact. The biker is unprotected on all sides and in case of a minor hit,  looses his balance and skids off,  sometimes throwing the biker in the line of other approaching  vehicles. The gentleman whose hand is shown above was involved in one such accident where he swerved to avoid another lane changing car and skidded. His hand was dragged against the road and the friction produced heat  which ended in a burn. The burns shown above is referred to as a 'friction burn'. Friction burns are caused by the skin friction with fast moving objects like wheels, machinery etc which generate heat. In addition often there is a trauma or injury element involved. Therefore the surgeon must address both these issues- treat the injury part like a laceration or injury that needs to be repaired surgically and at the same time treat the burn. To read more on friction burns -
http://asktheburnsurgeon.blogspot.in/2009_12_20_archive.html

Two wheelers like motorbikes need to be made more safe. Helmets can help to lessen the damage to the head but the body is still in the line of fire. If we can have something that covers the top bottom and sides of the rider, then we can protect his body better. Further if we can provide a mechanism for four wheels to pop out and touch the roads in case of an imminent danger and be pulled back in when the danger is past, then the rider can enjoy the fun of being on a motor bike at the same time have the safety of a four wheel vehicle.Those in this industry have a moral responsibility to provide and improve these safety measures!!!

an original article from @asktheburnsurgeon+

Burn wound infection, hand burns, second degree (2nd) burns

Seven year old David had a minor burn over the middle finger while bursting crackers. A few blisters and some reddening of his skin did not worry his mom  who applied a local antibiotic cream and literally forgot about it. A few days later David developed fever and severe pain in the hand. It was then that they visited their doctor who told them that David had a burn wound infection. Luckily for David the infection was still localized to the hand. He was  admitted to the hospital and treated with intravenous antibiotics. A culture swab from the wound showed that the offending organism was Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. David went back to school after three weeks vowing never to play with firecrackers.

Minor burns can end in serious complication  if unattended in a proper manner. Often superficial burns end up as deep burns in course of time if neglected. As with any other wound a number of factors besides infection can also affect the burn wound  this
http://asktheburnsurgeon.blogspot.in/2010/04/part-ii-wound-healing-why-wounds-fail.html

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