Acid attacks: how to treat chemical burns
Leading emergency doctors are calling for more to be done to educate people on how to respond to an acid attack.
The calls follow a suspected attack on a young mother in Newton Aycliffe on Monday 31 July.
According to medics, people who witness acid attacks can have an "important role" in minimising the harm to the victim.
After contaminated clothing is removed, it is "vital" that the affected area is irrigated with copious amounts of water to remove the chemical, the experts said.
They added that victims often experience physical and mental distress for the rest of their lives.
Writing in an editorial published in the British Medical Journal, Dr Johann Grundlingh, consultant emergency physician at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, says the "latest menace on our streets" is leaving victims blind or severely disfigured.
Following a spate of attacks across the UK involving corrosive liquids St John Ambulance has released advice at how best, as a first responder, to help a victim of an acid attack.
Advice:
Make sure that the area around the casualty is safe.
Wear gloves to prevent you coming into contact with the chemical.
If the chemical is in powder form, it can be brushed off of the skin.
Flood the burn with water for at least 20 minutes to dilute the chemical and stop the burning.
Ensure that the water does not collect underneath the casualty.
Gently remove any contaminated clothing while continuing to thoroughly rinse the injury.
Arrange to send the casualty to hospital.
Monitor vital signs, such as breathing, pulse and level of response.
Caution:
Never attempt to neutralise acid or alkali burns unless you are trained to do so.
Do not delay starting treatment by searching for an antidote
In the event of the victim being suffering from a chemical burn to the eye, St John Ambulance recommend that the eye is thoroughly rinsed with clean water.
Rinse the affected eye under gently running cold water for at least ten minutes.
Irrigate the eyelid thoroughly both inside and out.
Make sure that contaminated water does not splash the uninjured eye.
Arrange to send the casualty to hospital.
When to seek emergency care:
If the person is showing signs of shock such as fainting, a pale complexion or very shallow breathing.
If the chemical has burnt through the first layer of their skin i.e a blister has formed.
If the burn covers an area more than three inches (about eight centimetres) in diameter.
If the chemical burn goes all the way round a limb or involves the eyes, hands, feet, face, groin or buttocks, or a major joint such as the knee or elbow.