Question

A woman sustained partial thickness burns on both hands and arms while putting out a stovetop grease fire. The firefighters are bringing her out of the apartment as you arrive. As you begin your assessment, your partner helps you cut away the patients sleeves and remove her rings and watch. You do this because:

-it helps to prevent blisters
-it helps to prevent swelling
-this will help the healing process
-those items can retain heat and continue to burn the patient

Answer 1

Jewelry and watches are removed from burn victims to prevent swelling and additional burns, as these items can retain heat and impede circulation.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of emergency care for burn victims, it's crucial to remove items like jewelry and watches because they can retain heat and continue to inflict damage to the tissue post-exposure. This action is taken to minimize further injury and prevent swelling, which could be exacerbated by constricting items as tissues begin to swell.

Immediately after a burn injury, the body's response includes an inflammatory phase, during which swelling is a common physiological reaction. Jewelry can impair circulation if swelling increases, and watches or rings that retain heat may lead to more severe burns, making them a hazard. Therefore, emergency responders will remove such items swiftly to preempt these potential complications and aid in the healing process.