Burns

[Penn]

About five weeks ago, I suffered a third/fourth degree burn, on my right index finger, btw the first and middle joint, and around the left side of the finger. It melted my flesh and penetrated to the bone. Within 10 seconds, I immersed my hand in a quart of 32^F egg whites. The burning stop immediately and the pain was gone. As I had to finish the night, (about 6 hrs). I continued to immerse my hand in the albumin, the second, I felt any burning sensation; I did not clean the wound or bandage it that night, but waited till morning.
In the morning, I gently washed out the burn with cold water, and then I cracked a fresh egg, separated the yolk, and again covered the burn. I did this all day, for two days, and only covered the burn with ointment, gauze, band aid, rubber surgical glove, when working the line (about 3hrs). The ointment was used so the gauze would not stick. When not working I left the burn open to the air and would dab egg white on and around the burn. I did this until the wound was fully healed. The finger throbbed for days.
At this point, fully healed, I have no scar tissue, except for the red tone to the new skin, reduced felling to the touch, when its cold outside my finger is sensitive to it. And when pressing on the burn site, very little feeling at all.
While it was healing, the burn was concaved. When viewed from the side there was a noticeable dip of missing flesh. That has all filled in now.

I don’t know if you use any pure albumin based products in your treatments.
Or, if it is an avenue to investigate. But from my experience, this kitchen remedy never fails to turn off the pain in seconds, and helps speed the healing process.

Would like to hear what you think.

[Books]

You say that the wound went through to the bone? Are you saying that you could see white through the wound? And that the rest was charred black? But only between the two knuckles on the index finger? Must have sucked. What burned you?

From what Ive read, egg whites have long been a home remedy for burns, both to alieviate pain and to heal tissue. Further, in hospitals, for folks with severe burns covering large parts of their body, serum albumin is recommended during the first 8 hours in conjunction with the Parkland formula. http://www.totalburncare.com/orientation_burn_shock.htm

It makes sense that immersing a burn in egg whites would help. The tissue is either destroyed or damaged, in serious need of both fluid, nutrients and protection from exposure and submersion in egg whites provides this. However, egg whites are not sterile and burns are incredibly susceptible to infection. If there was a way to sterilize egg whites. . .

First aid for 3 degree burns according to established medical protocols includes an antibiotic ointment (silver sulfadiazine or Bacitracin), wrapping the wound in dry gauze, and rushing to the hospital. Fluids would be brought on board according to the Parkland formula. Perhaps an escharatomy. . . At the hospital, the stabilized patient would then enjoy a daily sloughing of dead tissue and reapplication of the ointment. Nasty, nasty, nasty work. Even when you dope them up, the patient still feels it. Throughout all of it however, is a constant fear of, and fight against, infection.

Glad that your burn healed well. I'll look into this more for work in less developed areas. Thanks.

Books

[Penn]

I was burnt by a piece of carbon, which came loose from a cast Iron pan coated in a sugar honey oil reduction (450 ^F +) to glaze a veal chop with. Carbon builds up along the rim of the pans over time. If it was just the carbon, it would have just been a blister burn, but the sugar sticks and continues to burn. After dunking the hand in egg whites, it cooled. I pulled it off along with a hunk of my finger.
The white exposed part was about the size of two match heads. The burn covered the entire knuckle area from well done to rare; an equal part of the left side of the finger was just melted.

[Ambush Master]

I picked up a "Toaster Strudel" out of the Toaster with a paper napkin. I grabbed it by the upper corners and just before I got it to the plate, it EXPLODED!!! One of the Kids had put it in on Max Power and it was way overheated!!

Same as your encounter, but I got it off before it took hide with it.

I keep "OraJell" in the fridge to deal with kitchen burns. I cooled it down and then put the OraJell on it and the Benzocaine totally killed the pain.

I kept the gel on it for a day or two, when it would start to hurt and put the hand in a sock at night so that I couldn't rub my eyes while asleep.

Anyone else have any "Field Expedient" quick remedies for BAD Burns?

Take care.
Martin

[Eagle5US]

Originally Posted by Penn

About five weeks ago, I suffered a third/fourth degree burn, on my right index finger, btw the first and middle joint, and around the left side of the finger. It melted my flesh and penetrated to the bone. Within 10 seconds, I immersed my hand in a quart of 32^F egg whites. The burning stop immediately and the pain was gone. As I had to finish the night, (about 6 hrs). I continued to immerse my hand in the albumin, the second, I felt any burning sensation; I did not clean the wound or bandage it that night, but waited till morning.
In the morning, I gently washed out the burn with cold water, and then I cracked a fresh egg, separated the yolk, and again covered the burn. I did this all day, for two days, and only covered the burn with ointment, gauze, band aid, rubber surgical glove, when working the line (about 3hrs). The ointment was used so the gauze would not stick. When not working I left the burn open to the air and would dab egg white on and around the burn. I did this until the wound was fully healed. The finger throbbed for days.
At this point, fully healed, I have no scar tissue, except for the red tone to the new skin, reduced felling to the touch, when its cold outside my finger is sensitive to it. And when pressing on the burn site, very little feeling at all.
While it was healing, the burn was concaved. When viewed from the side there was a noticeable dip of missing flesh. That has all filled in now.

I don’t know if you use any pure albumin based products in your treatments.
Or, if it is an avenue to investigate. But from my experience, this kitchen remedy never fails to turn off the pain in seconds, and helps speed the healing process.

Would like to hear what you think.

While you may have burned yourself and utilized this home remedy for treatment - you did not receive a 3rd / 4th degree burn "down to the bone".
The flesh in the types of burns you describe the ESCHAR cannot "regenerate". 3rd degree burns are generally painless, as the skin layers containing the nerve endings are cooked through and the nerves destroyed. It is cooked, much like steak would be cooked. 3rd degree burns can, and often ARE, surrounded by areas of second and first degree burns, which can indeed be quite painful.
I find it odd that you would have access to "within 10 seconds" - submerge your burn in a quart of 32 degree F egg whites.

Additionally, for all those reading this thread and thinking about experimentation with self treatment of significant burns (thermal or otherwise)...BURNS TO THE HANDS, FACE, GROIN SHOULD BE SEEN BY A PROFESSIONAL IN A BURN CENTER.
Burns to the hands can be permanently debilitating without proper treatment and occupational therapy.

While major burn centers may utilize albumin based products (I have no experience or information to confirm or deny this) - I have not seen any corroborated use for it in Emergency Care or the pre-hospital setting.
Googling "egg white for burns" demonstrates multiple pages of "home remedies"...but nothing blatant from the established medical community.

Eagle

[Black Knight]

Originally Posted by Eagle5US

While you may have burned yourself and utilized this home remedy for treatment - you did not receive a 3rd / 4th degree burn "down to the bone".
The flesh in the types of burns you describe cannot "regenerate". 3rd degree burns are generally painless, as the skin layers containing the nerve endings are cooked through and the nerves destroyed. It is cooked, much like steak would be cooked. 3rd degree burns can, and often ARE, surrounded by areas of second and first degree burns, which can indeed be quite painful.
I find it odd that you would have access to "within 10 seconds" - submerge your burn in a quart of 32 degree F egg whites.

Additionally, for all those reading this thread and thinking about experimentation with self treatment of significant burns (thermal or otherwise)...BURNS TO THE HANDS, FACE, GROIN SHOULD BE SEEN BY A PROFESSIONAL IN A BURN CENTER.
Burns to the hands can be permanently debilitating without proper treatment and occupational therapy.

While major burn centers may utilize albumin based products (I have no experience or information to confirm or deny this) - I have not seen any corroborated use for it in Emergency Care or the pre-hospital setting.
Googling "egg white for burns" demonstrates multiple pages of "home remedies"...but nothing blatant from the established medical community.

Eagle

Thank you Eagle. Until your post, I was beginnig to become concerned and slightly puzzled.

This isn't beyond Thunderdome. Go to the damn doctor, it isn't worth it.

[Penn]

Eagle, I'm a chef in a restaurant in NYC. We always have egg whites in the refer..pastry work. You're proably right on the degree level. Penn

[Red Flag 1]

edit

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by Red Flag 1

Penn,

Agree with Eagle5. One of the concerns I have is infection. Should the wound become infected, more tissue damage will take place. You can actually see a 2nd degree burn evolve into a 3rd degree injury from the tissue loss to infection. There is really no reason to NOT see a doc.

RF 1

RF 1, are you a medical professional?

[Eagle5US]

Originally Posted by Penn

Eagle, I'm a chef in a restaurant in NYC. We always have egg whites in the refer..pastry work. You're proably right on the degree level. Penn

Chef = very cool

Glad it turned out OK for you in the long run. I am sure that you burn yourself as a matter of "kitchen routine"

Eagle