Is it necessary to take anti-inflammatory drugs or hang intravenous drips after a burn?

This is the 4752nd article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

"Doctor, I'm burned. Can I just bandage it and it will heal? Can't you give me some anti-inflammatory medicine? Don't I need an IV drip?" When I see patients, many outpatients with burns will ask such questions. I always tell the patients: "You don't need it! The ointment I applied to your wound just now has a great antibacterial effect!"

The anti-inflammatory drugs and drips mentioned by patients are what we call antibacterial drugs in medicine. The so-called anti-inflammatory drugs refer to antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen. This type of "anti-inflammatory drug" can only relieve the inflammatory response in the body, but does not really act on bacteria. Antibacterial drugs, as the name suggests, refer to drugs that can inhibit or kill pathogenic microorganisms, including antibiotics and synthetic antibacterial drugs.

After a burn, the skin barrier is damaged and a wound is formed locally, providing conditions for bacterial reproduction and invasion. The treatment principles vary depending on the depth of the burn, but the common principle is to prevent or reduce infection and promote early healing of the wound.

1. Small burns

In clinical practice, we mostly use local antimicrobial drugs to treat mild small-area burns, and there is no need to use systemic antimicrobial drugs. Commonly used local antimicrobial drugs include iodine tincture, benzalkonium chloride solution, silver sulfadiazine ointment, mupirocin ointment, compound polymyxin B ointment, etc. For deep burns, in addition to the local use of antimicrobial drugs, we will also comprehensively consider the patient's clinical manifestations to decide whether to use antimicrobial drugs orally or intravenously.

2. Extensive burns

Large areas of skin damage and decreased immune function are prone to local wound infection and infectious complications, which may even lead to death. Antimicrobial treatment is an important part of the treatment process. Wound treatment - removing the infected lesions is the fundamental treatment measure to prevent and treat infection, rather than relying solely on systemic application of antibiotics.

In addition to local antibacterial drugs, there are also some special antibacterial dressings for burns. Based on the condition of the patient and the wound, the specialist will conduct an assessment to provide individualized treatment.

Author: Shanghai Electric Power Hospital

Guo YufengChief Physician