Burn Injury Blog - michaelehline.com

When Is a Burn Victim Transferred to a Burn Center?

Written by MichaelEhline on November 29, 2024. Posted in Burn Injury Blog.

Burn centers are special medical centers where burn wounds get treated, and patients get to start their recovery program from severe burns.

However, people have ambiguity about when a burn victim is transferred to a burn center.

Unfortunately, even in such tragic situations, these things matter when claiming insurance compensation.

Before we look at some of the different requirements of burn centers, it is essential to address what these centers do.

Here are some of the reasons why burn patients may get admitted to the burn center:

To receive nursing care
To receive resuscitation when a burn injury poses breathing difficulties
For surgeries in the case of severe burns
To start the rehabilitation therapy.

What Is The Criteria For Burn ICU Admission?

To get admitted into a burn ICU, a burn patient must:

Have around 20% or more of their total body surface area (TBA) burned
Have sustained inhalation injury with burns
Be part of vulnerable groups of people like young children, the elderly, and those with prior health issues.

What Is The Criteria For A Burn Center Patient Transfer?

According to the American Burn Association, not all patients are eligible for a burn center transfer, as there are specific requirements, such as the victim’s age and total body surface area.

Burn victims younger than ten years or older than 50 are more prone to complications from burn injuries and need immediate medical attention. For this group of people, any second-degree burns or higher resulting in burns on 10% of their total body surface area (TBSA) qualify for a burn center transfer. Burn center transfer criteria for all other age groups require around 20% of the total body surface area burned.

Burn center transfer criteria for third-degree burns require the victim to have at least 5% of their total body surface area burned. Second third-degree burns that leave a victim with disfigurements get transferred to the burn center as well.

Other criteria are chemical and electrical burns, especially in the case of lightning strikes.

Those burn injury victims with concomitant trauma pose a greater immediate risk of losing their lives. They must be sent to the burn trauma center immediately before being transferred to a burn center. The doctor must decide according to the regional medical control plan as it can affect mortality.

Burn injury in patients with prior medical conditions also fulfills the criteria for being sent to the burns center.

What Are Some Characteristics of Superficial, Partial, And Full-Thickness Burns?

Sometimes, it can be challenging to diagnose the type of burn a victim has; however, looking at some of the characteristics can help doctors distinguish between them.

Let’s look at some of the main characteristics of the following types of burn injuries:

First-degree burns: Also known as superficial burns, these types are at the epidermis level and cause dryness, redness, swelling, and, in some cases, blisters.
Second-degree burns: Also superficial partial, these types are at the dermis level and cause swelling and moist blisters, which are extremely painful.
Third-degree burns: Also full-thickness, these types are at the hypodermis level and cause the skin to get charred, resembling leather. Such burns prolong recovery periods.

Where Can I Find More Burn Treatment Information In a City Near Me?

Those requiring more information or medical treatment for their burns can get details on a burn center near them by visiting the American Burn Association website and navigating to “Find a burn center.” More significantly, TBSA persons (total body surface area) should immediately visit a burn center near them to get a diagnosis of their condition and see if they are eligible for burn center admission.

Again:

Visit the ABA website
Navigate to “Find a Burn Center.”
Contact those services.

How Can a Burn Injury Lawyer Help Me?

Our burn injury lawyers have vast experience dealing with burn patients with second and third-degree burns and can help evaluate your case and determine your claims. You may be eligible for economic, non-economic, and punitive damages, and our lawyers can help calculate your claims and file a burn injury lawsuit against the negligent parties.

Citations:

https://www.medstarwashington.org/our-services/emergency-trauma-and-burn-care/why-choose-us/criteria-for-referral-to-the-burn-center/

https://www.medscape.com/answers/435402-117240/what-are-the-american-burn-association-burn-center-transfer-criteria

https://www.healthline.com/health/full-thickness-burn

Was Your Child or Elderly Parent Scalded?

Written by MichaelEhline on November 29, 2024. Posted in Burn Injury Blog.

Burn injuries affect all types of individuals. However, young children and older people are more prone to getting burned than others due to their sensitive skin. Burn injuries can occur by getting in contact with boiling liquids, hot objects, chemicals, electricity, cold, heat, fire, and friction, among many others.

Burn injuries can lead to permanent scarring, with severe cases requiring skin graft surgery. The tragedy is that individuals can avoid burn injuries by taking precautions and ensuring compliance with safety regulations (having a fire extinguisher) put forward by the state and local laws.

If you or a beloved child or elder was abused and suffered burn injuries, contact Ehline Law and our Los Angeles burn injury attorneys immediately to evaluate your case.

Immediate Burn Treatment: Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve gotten burned, following the steps below immediately can reduce the pain and severity of the burn:

Immediately run the burn wound under tap water (ensure the water temperature is cool rather than cold, as the wound can risk hypothermia) for about 20 minutes. Many victims run the wound under tap water for a few seconds before panicking and heading to the hospital. This doesn’t seem right, as the wound can burn if not washed correctly. Avoid using ice to prevent burns, as ice can cause further blistering, worsening the burn wounds.
Remove clothing from the burned area after washing the wounds. Leaving burned clothes on the skin can irritate, but avoid removing the clothing if it is stuck to the skin. Pulling or jerking on it can remove the layer of the skin, further worsening the wounds.
Use a sterile cloth or a sterile gauze pad to clean the wound. If it is oozing, seek medical help immediately. You don’t want an infection to start, as it can further complicate things.
Consult a physician if the burn sensation remains after a few hours following the burn injury. Avoid using home remedies, such as butter and grease, on the burn wound, as they can worsen the injury.
Wash chemical burns immediately and contact the Poison Helpline at 1-800-222-1222 or your physician.

Protect Young Children and Your Family with Burn Safety Precautions

Burn injuries are easily avoidable by taking preventable safety measures, which can further avoid any worse situations in case of fire breakouts.

Here is how you can safeguard your family from any fire hazards:

According to state laws, rental homes and apartment buildings must have fire alarms to alarm residents in case of fire breakouts. Modern alarms with long-lasting batteries in your apartment, especially in the kitchen, can help prevent fire incidents involving residents.
Start practicing fire drills at home to ensure the family, including the kids, are ready for any adverse event or a fire spread.
Keep all flammable liquids and materials away from home. When in contact with the fire, these can cause a tremendous explosion, resulting in more devastating damage.
Cover unused electrical outlets to avoid electrical burns if the children try to plug things into them or even their fingers.

Burn Safety Outdoors Precautions

There are also outdoor burn hazards for which you need to take precautions, and these include:

Do not allow your children near grills, campfires, or fire pits, as they can cause nasty burns.
In the United States, temperatures can soar, resulting in high temperatures in parked cars. Before placing your children or baby in the vehicle, ensure that the seat belt and the seats are not hot; if they are, place a towel before placing your child.
Avoid using fireworks. Even if you do it in a safe and controlled environment, your children might learn how to use it and go about using it when not supervised, which can be a considerable danger.

Scalding Burns and Hot Foods

Scald burns are different from fire burns as they happen when the skin comes into contact with hot liquids like boiling water from a water heater, tea, coffee, etc. Surprisingly, more than 30% of the cases that make it to a burn center in the United States are scald injuries. It is not unheard of for mothers to carry hot beverages and their babies, causing scald injuries when an incident occurs.

Tips on Dealing with Hot Food with Children Around

To avoid getting scald injuries, here are the five tips we recommend to families to ensure the safety of themselves and their loved ones:

Never let your children near the oven or wherever you are cooking. Kids’ curious natures can lead to them touching hot objects. Ensure that you test food temperature before feeding your children.
Start using back burners, as they do not have handles, keeping them out of sight from young kids in the house.
When cooking, shift all the pots and pans containing the hot food to the middle of the kitchen counter rather than its edges. This is to avoid kids pulling on the utensils and burning themselves with hot liquid.
Warming baby food in a microwave is not advised, as the microwave unevenly heats the food. The food might look cold from the outside, but it could be bubbling hot inside. Instead, heat food for your babies using hot water.
Keep oven mitts in the kitchen at all times.

How to Prevent Scalds in the Bathroom

There are specific steps one should take to avoid any scald injuries during bath times, and these can include the following:

Ensure your water heater is at 120 degrees Fahrenheit; anything above this number can easily result in scald injuries if exposed for too long.
Check the bath temperature before letting your children take a bath or placing your baby in the seemingly warm tub. Kids and babies are more sensitive to hot temperatures than adults, and if you feel that the water is not too hot, it might be for the children; hence, check the water temperature.
Water faucets are usually hot if the hot water has been running through them, so it is best to place your child away from the water faucet to avoid touching it.

When dealing with kids, the main concern is that they don’t realize their boundaries and let their curiosity get the best of them. Parents must establish “No Go Zones” in the house where kids don’t have access or can’t reach. For example, the radius around space heaters and fireplaces is a no-zone area for young children.

When Is Hospitalization Necessary for Burn Injuries?

Not all burn injuries require hospitalization, as minor burn injury victims can recover at home. However, those facing severe injuries can lead to complications. Hence, it is best to get hospitalized to receive medical attention immediately.

Here are a few situations that may require hospitalization:

Third-degree burns
More than 10% of the body gets burned
Burns on the face, hand, genitals, or moving joints
Young children.

Contact Our California Burn Injury Attorneys for Your Case Today

Have you gotten burn injuries that were not your fault? Is your loved one hurt due to someone else’s negligence? Our attorneys are personal injury experts and can help determine the cause of the incident, investigate and collect evidence, and help you establish an individual injury case to get the compensation you deserve.

Call us now for more information on how we can help you. Contact us at (213) 596-9642 and get a free consultation with our California burn injury lawyers today.

Citations

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Treating-and-Preventing-Burns.aspx

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/sites/default/files/DDA/dda/documents/Caregiver%20Alert%20Template%20-%20Hot.pdf

https://www.thesilverlining.com/westbendcares/blog/five-tips-to-prevent-burns-and-scalds-in-your-family

Preventing Fires and Carbon Monoxide Exposure Throughout The Summer

Written by MichaelEhline on November 29, 2024. Posted in Burn Injury Blog.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is often referred to as a slow poison or a slow killer, and winters are notorious for CO poisoning. Many residents use heating appliances, gas stoves, and other heating devices to warm their homes during the harsh winters.

However, it is not just the winters that welcome the slow killer; there have also been many carbon monoxide cases during the summers. So, how many people does carbon monoxide kill in the country? According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 400 CO poisoning victims lose their lives annually in the country. There are around 50,000 plus patients in emergency rooms and 300 annual patients who end up requiring intensive treatment for CO poisoning due to someone else’s negligence.

If you or someone you know has gotten injured or hurt due to CO poisoning, contact Ehline Law and our Los Angeles carbon monoxide lawyers immediately to evaluate your case.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning During Summers

Carbon monoxide results from combustion from certain appliances, mainly fuel-burning appliances, which can be at home or outdoors. During summer, appliances like kerosene burners, charcoal-burning barbeque grills, lanterns, fire pits, and more spread a lot of carbon monoxide into the surroundings.

Carbon monoxide is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States because of the country’s traditions and cultures. Many states here take pride in delivering some of the best BBQs in the country, and where there is BBQ, there is a potential threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. However, these are all outdoor items, and using them outdoors with the proper safety equipment can help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Some equipment is located indoors, and leaks can potentially cause CO hazards. Equipment that requires gas, such as natural gas refrigerators, fuel-burning space heaters, stoves, dryers, and more, is a massive concern during summers in case of carbon monoxide leaks.

In addition to these types of equipment and appliances, CO poisoning can happen from boats, cars, and even power generators. There have been cases where people leave their cars idle or turn their generators on during a power outage in their garage. This builds up a lot of CO if proper ventilation is not provided.

Replacing Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Many of us have carbon monoxide alarms fitted in our homes, but we rarely check if the batteries are working. Secondly, just like any other product with expiration dates, carbon monoxide alarms have a lifespan of five years. After five years, homeowners must replace the alarms to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning during equipment gas leaks.

If the CO detector does not have an expiration date and you can’t recall the last time it was changed, it is time to replace it.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms

Carbon monoxide is deadly for two reasons, and these are:

It doesn’t have any smell
It is odorless.

Due to these two properties, it is very difficult to determine if a house has a leak or not, and during this time, there can be a CO buildup.

However, if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, you must look for symptoms like nausea, rapid heart rate, headache, drowsiness, fatigue, and flu. These are some of the most common symptoms of CO poisoning. However, there can be others as well. CO affects the tissue and leads to brain damage.

Follow These Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips

Although CO poisoning is a slow death, it is preventable by having a CO alarm and following safety tips. Here are a few safety tips to ensure your and your family’s safety.

Ensure Proper Ventilation

Many people have a lot of fuel-burning equipment inside their homes, but that doesn’t mean you should get rid of them. Proper ventilation ensures leaks or gases leave the house rather than spread inside.

Check your stove or fireplace; there might be a broken chimney connector pipe that needs to be replaced. If your chimney is blocked, call a professional chimney sweep.

Understanding Symptoms

Above, our Los Angeles burn injury attorneys already discussed the different symptoms you might start to have if exposed too long to carbon monoxide. These symptoms begin by disguising it as a sort of flu, eventually developing more as tissue and brain damage occur. It can be too late to realize that you have CO poisoning and brain damage if you’re unaware of your surroundings or how you feel.

Consider the following signs as CO poisoning:

Feeling great away from home
The entire household has flu-like symptoms
Pets are starting to get sick
No swollen nodes or infections that come with the flu.

Install CO Alarms

Install and maintain CO alarms, as this will help prevent CO poisoning from happening in your homes. Alarms or CO detectors have a useful life; crossing that longevity can result in a faulty product that may not detect gas leaks. According to California Law, homeowners must install CO alarms in every room with fossil-fuel appliances. Besides that, installing CO detectors on every level of home bedrooms, inside each sleeping area, and outside each sleeping area can help detect any leak and wake you up at night when you’re asleep.

You can also install CO alarms outside to take preventive measures and protect the vulnerable group outdoors.

Keep the Vulnerable Away from Fossil-fuel Equipment

Even if you’re barbecuing outdoors, you must keep the vulnerable away from such outdoor activities. Grill smoke can severely affect children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions if exposed for too long.

Contact our Los Angeles Carbon Monoxide Lawyers Today

You may be eligible for compensation if you’ve gotten hurt or injured from CO poisoning due to someone else’s negligence.

Contact us at (213) 596-9642, and our attorneys will assess your CO poisoning case, determine your claims, and file a lawsuit against the negligent party. While you recover, we will deal with the insurers and get you the compensation you deserve.

Citations

https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/toxins/index.html

https://www.resideo.com/us/en/corporate/newsroom/featured-articles/summer-an-unsuspected-season-of-carbon-monoxide-dangers/

https://www.creia.org/california-carbon-monoxide-law-takes-effect/

Serious Burns Can Lead to Disfigurement and Mental Anguish?

Written by MichaelEhline on November 29, 2024. Posted in Burn Injury Blog.

Radiation, electrical, fire, and chemical burns are some of the different types of burns that can occur to anyone. More burn injury victims are surviving than before due to advanced medicine and better medical burn treatment facilities.

However, with survivability comes psychological challenges such as depression, anxiety, reduced self-esteem, and a more hindering path to recovery.

There are three stages for physiological recovery from burn injuries, and they are critical, acute, and long-term rehabilitation.

Third-degree Burns Deal the Most Serious Burn Injuries

A first-degree burn can cause slight redness or, in extreme cases, swelling to a small surface area, but burn victims can treat first-degree burns at home.

Second-degree burns are more profound, resulting in dead tissue cells and burned skin. These can cause blistering and are extremely painful. Although second-degree burns can bbe classified as a severe burn injury, a third-degree burn is the most dangerous as it reaches the fat and bones in the human body and covers a more significant body surface area.

All these burns can leave temporary and permanent scarring depending on the following:

The intensity of the burn
The duration a victim gets exposed to it
The total body surface area of the burn.

Severe burns lead to disfigurement that requires long-term medical treatments and also psychological treatment as the victim faces social challenges.

Let’s explore the psychological challenges that come with such severe burns.

Psychological Challenges from Severe Burn Injuries

Critical stage: This is a stressful stage when a burn victim ends up in an intensive care environment. They start to think about their life and whether they will make it. Such environments can lead to drowsiness, confusion, and even disorientation. Due to the high dosage of drugs to minimize pain and the spread of infection, patients may start to feel psychotic reactions. Since physical survival is of utmost importance in this phase, doctors and nurses do not tend to focus much on psychological treatment. The only psychological interventions that occur concentrate on sleep and reducing pain.
Acute: Although this stage includes painful treatments, burn patients receive restorative care as they are more aware of their surroundings and situations. Burn patients are off sedatives in this stage, and due to this, they start to exhibit symptoms of depression, anxiety and reduced self-esteem. Although severe burn injuries are painful even after the first month, patients also begin to develop post-traumatic stress disorder and reduced self-esteem. The severity of the depression correlates to the pain and the social support victims receive from family, friends, and the medical staff. Counseling, drugs, and relaxation techniques are some of the treatments to cure or minimize depression at this stage.
Long-term rehabilitation: When patients get discharged, they need to be part of society again, which is when the long-term rehabilitation stage starts. Burn patients might require skin graft surgeries after discharge or dressing changes, and stress levels can be exceptionally high during the first year of discharge. Besides the daily hassles faced by burn injuries, victims require constant social support to combat the slow depression that takes over. There are many hospital-based programs for burn patients to enroll in and be part of the community, once again helping them recover and improve their self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.

Contact Ehline Law for Your Burn Injury

If you’ve gotten burn injuries due to someone else’s negligence, contact our burn injury lawyer at (213) 596-9642 for a free case evaluation, as you may be eligible for compensation. An Ehline Law burn injury attorney can help assess your case, determine your claims, and file a burn injury claim against the negligent party to get you the compensation you deserve.

Citations

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC509350/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038408/

Drones And Fighting Fires – A Bad Combination?

Written by MichaelEhline on November 29, 2024. Posted in Burn Injury Blog.

A fire engulfed tens of vehicles on a Southern California freeway and kept moving forward at an incredible pace. The firefighters were there to take over the fire, but their efforts ended up in smoke when witnesses saw drones (quadcopters) flying near the firefighting vicinity. On Friday, firefighters were ready to extinguish the fire using their planes. Still, soon, witnesses saw five drones flying where the firefighter planes had to perform their operations to extinguish flames and prevent burns, smoke inhalation, scalds, etc.

Cajon Pass connects Las Vegas to California, where the fire started, and it was moving on at an incredible pace. Lee Beyer, the spokesperson for the US Forest Service, told the media about the problems caused by drones. The firefighting planes could not perform their operations for nearly half an hour until drone pilots cleared their quads from the flying region.

On multiple occasions, the drones delayed firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the wildfire. People have become divided over whether drones should fly in fire zones. Some people want drones completely banned; others want a solution where they won’t be prohibited but won’t cause any delays in firefighting operations. Some people seem more annoyed that quadcopters get passed off as drones.

Beyer also told the media about a flying area for drones close to where the fire started. The closeness of that area also became a reason for flying drones near the fire. Sources say that the firefighters’ ground crew tracked these drones’ operators and forcefully told them to shut down their UAVs (uncrewed aerial vehicles). However, pro-drone groups have discussed the issue on their online forums and stated that they immediately shut down their gadgets once supervisors communicated the dangers.

Can’t Operate Firefighting Aircraft With Drones Present?

Beyer said that it was impossible to fly firefighter planes when drones were around because drones could hit the planes’ propellers and cause them to malfunction or come down on the ground. If the drone operators were flying their drones intentionally to halt the firefighters’ operations, they could receive jail time. However, no arrests were made because no such intentions were involved.

The fire was big, and nearly 1,000 firefighters were on the job to kill it, which had already swallowed up 11 constructions in the area. The area that the fire destroyed was around 35,000 acres. The freeway scene was horrifying as the drivers frantically left their vehicles and started running uphill to save their lives. An eyewitness at the location, Allevato, said everyone was going uphill and abandoning their cars.

Strange Legal Area?

Some people have made aggressive remarks after hearing the news, even though drone operators who received word of the incident have clearly stated that they were within the legal area where they were supposed to fly. People are making various suggestions on how to tackle drones if such situations arise, and many people think that they should be shot down. Citizens must understand that these drones are not as small as many people might imagine.

Shooting Them Down?

These drones can be as heavy as 30 to 40 lbs, and if they get shot from the air, they can cause significant accidents when they fall on the ground. Pro-drone individuals are worried about what the future will hold for their favorite gadgets.

Who Can Help?

Michael Ehline is a prolific blogger on California and international tort law. He has been a guest on CNN, discussed in major news publications like Forbes, Circle of Legal Trust, Personal Injury Warriors, and International Cruise Victims. He has lobbied Congress for injured consumers, served as a United States Marine, and won millions of dollars for his clients as a West Los Angeles injury attorney. This blog discusses Ehline’s insights and musings on all aspects of negligence law related to “accidents.” Ehline can be reached at (213) 596-9642.