References
The use of polyvinyl chloride film (clingfilm) with burn injury in the pre-hospital setting—the clear facts
Abstract
Responding to burn patients within the pre-hospital setting, ‘stop the burning process, cool the burn injury, assess and then cover’ is the recommended management procedure included in the standard trauma protocol pathway, endorsed by international burn associations throughout the world. However, the introduction of the use of polyvinyl chloride film (clingfilm) in the pre-hospital setting continues to generate considerable confusion among emergency medical and rescue practitioners responding to burn-injured patients. The use of polyvinyl chloride film (clingfilm) does have a supportive role in burn injury management—just not in the immediate phase of emergency burn care.
This paper provides an overview of the clinically-evidenced pathway for the potential use of polyvinyl chloride film (clingfilm), as advocated by leading international emergency burn care and trauma associations.
Serious burn injuries are devastating events that leave patients with long-term physical and psychological challenges that are recognised by paramedics worldwide as one of the most horrific and challenging injuries known to the emergency medical and rescue services (Bourke and Dunn, 2013).
Burn-injured patients who enter the in-hospital management pathway are extremely expensive for their local healthcare system to repair and support as they progress through the burn care system towards repatriation with their families, hopefully with a positive re-introduction into civilian life.
At the time of incident, a burn-injured patient may be severely stressed, possibly going into shock (depending on the source and severity of the burn injury), and in considerable pain (both physical and psychological). Their current method of assisted cooling by family, friends or members of the public may not be the most efficient or effective (more than likely the case with children and the elderly), as their burn injuries continue to damage their integumentary structure.
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