PUBLICATIONS

At BURNFREEŽ Products we are often asked about the effectiveness of BURNFREE hydrogel products for first aid treatment of various types of burns. BURNFREE has been found to be effective on all types of burns. When used early after the injury, BURNFREE slows the progression of a burn injury, often to the point of stopping a 1st-degree burn from progressing to a 2nd-degree and a 2nd-degree burn from progressing to a 3rd-degree burn. BURNFREE also quickly relieves the pain of a burn injury.

Regardless of the type or cause of the burn injury, burn care experts agree on several points concerning first aid care for burn injuries. These points include: early cooling, exclusion of air from the burned area, relief of pain, prevention of infection, and minimizing the onset of shock. Appropriate use of BURNFREE products provides for these treatment needs. Dr. John A. Boswick, one of the world's foremost authorities on burn medicine, past president and past member of the Board of Trustees of the American Burn Association, was quoted in an article titled "State-of-the-Art Burn Treatment" published in Occupational Health & Safety (April 1996, page 62, Jerry Laws):

"BURNFREE and other hydrogel products -- consisting of water mixed with a gelatinous base -- are portable and easy to use. These qualities by themselves make them superior to a bucket of water or dry blanket to cope with an injured worker's burn injuries. But the greatest benefit of hydrogels is that they are the state of the art in limiting depth of the burn, and therefore limiting the severity," Boswick said.

"Hydrogel products are particularly applicable to burns of the face, back and thighs," Boswick has written. "Many burns also occur in situations where water is not available -- such as auto or plane accidents, camping injuries, burning buildings, etc. Therefore, an alternative method of extinguishing flames and cooling of burn wounds is needed."

In the October 1995, Occupational Health & Safety, (October 1995, Kelly Ewart Smith, pages 159, 160) an article titled "Stopping the Burn" related an incident where BURNFREE was used for an injury sustained by a worker in the kitchen of a candy factory. He suffered second degree burns on the lower half of his body from steam which showered him from the waist down. The occupational nurse at the factory treated him with BURNFREE and sent him to the hospital. When the worker returned to work, the nurse noticed that only part of the worker's lower body showed evidence of a burn injury. The areas where she had applied BURNFREE looked healthy, while the other areas were noticeably scarred. She stated:

"I didn't have enough gel and used whatever I had to treat him. The 10% of the body I treated looked fine. You could really tell where I ran out of the gel."

"Hydrogels stop the burning process, therefore slowing and finally stopping the progress of the burn injury," said Dr. John Boswick, president of the International Burn Foundation. He recommends using hydrogels while the victim awaits medical attention. "The hydrogels must be applied immediately or soon as possible after the injury," he said, adding that hydrogels can be used on any kind of burn. He noted that some chemical burns should be thoroughly irrigated with saline solution or water.

When the gel is applied to the burn, the skin cools, giving immediate comfort to the burn victim. "The gels may have a place in the comfort management part of the treatment," said Wendy Daly, R.N., Chemical Burn Specialist at Shriners Burns Institute, Boston Unit. The gel spreads around the burn area but won't run off like water can. Thickening agents within the gel slow evaporation, so the gel acts as a seal, shielding the burn from bacteria that could aggravate the burn and lead to infection.

Dressings and blankets soaked in hydrogel are useful in stopping the burning process: "The hydrogel helps transfer heat from the burn into the dressing," said Boswick. Because of a hydrogel's high-moisture content, dressings or wraps will not adhere to the burn. Dry dressings and wraps, however, may penetrate the burn, causing great discomfort to the victim when they are removed.

When the burn victim reaches the burn unit, the hydrogel is removed by cleansing the area gently with soap and water. In most cases, though, the burn has already absorbed the gel, and no cleaning is necessary.

"Hydrogels are a convenient and effective way to quickly slow and eventually stop the burning process," said Boswick. The immediate relief and comfort the burn victim receives helps make the time between getting burned and receiving medical attention less traumatic. He recommends using hydrogels as soon as the burn occurs, the most critical time of the injury. "We don't know the depth of a burn," he said, "but the hydrogels can cool the area burned and reduce the burn's progress."