This injury can be obtained when exposed to the inner zone of the nose with too hot air, steam, poisonous substances formed during combustion. A burn of the nasal mucosa occurs not only in emergency situations in the form of fires and explosions, but also in case of improper inhalation. You can help yourself or another person in the event of such an injury by knowing its main signs.
Symptoms
The first sign of damage to the nasal mucosa is redness and swelling. Unfortunately, with a minor burn, few people provide proper treatment, and this leads to complications. However, more severe degrees of burn cannot be ignored, since they are characterized by:
- increased dryness in the nose;
- the appearance of bubbles with a clear liquid;
- erosion formation;
- necrosis of the epithelium (in this case, the tissues become gray).
The stronger the effect on the mucous membrane, the more severe the degree of damage. So, with complex injuries, tissue necrosis and their gradual rejection occur.
To prevent injury, the factors that lead to it should be avoided. You can burn the mucous membrane by thermal action (inhaling hot air, steam or smoke at the fire site). A chemical burn of the nasal mucosa occurs as a result of the influence of chemicals - alcohol, acid or alkali. People most often suffer from inhalation of ammonia, ammonia, bleach.
Sometimes people get injury to the mucous membrane due to inexperience and due to excessive efforts to quickly cure themselves with quartz in case of sinusitis or other ENT disease. Having "cured" himself with the use of quartz for several minutes, a person wonders how during the procedure it was possible to burn the mucous membrane. According to one of the patients, during quartzing, she literally burned the nasal mucosa and realized this after 10 minutes: severe itching in her nose began to bother her and even tears came out. The quartz method is really being introduced into the main treatment, since with ENT disease it can relieve pain and reduce inflammation. But this procedure is carried out only as prescribed by a doctor and with exact observance of the time of exposure to quartz. In addition, before quartzing, the mucous membrane should be slightly lubricated with oil or other sunscreen, and the procedure time should be increased gradually, but not more than up to three minutes.
With any degree of damage to the mucous membrane, there is a risk of infection, the development of complications on this basis, and the treatment becomes longer. In this case, the timely provided first aid plays an important role.
How and how you can help
In case of a burn of the nose, something can be done after it becomes clear what exactly caused the injury. So, in case of a thermal burn, it is necessary to rinse the burned area with soapy water, remove dirt that has got on the wound from the surface, while trying not to additionally injure the tissue. It is also recommended to treat the burn with a barely pink solution of potassium permanganate.
It is somewhat more difficult to provide assistance to the victim if the mucous membrane was exposed to a chemical, since the harmful effects of each of them are eliminated in a special way. Neutralized:
- acid - soapy water, 0.1% ammonia or 2% baking soda solution;
- alkali - 1% solution of citric, boric, acetic acid;
- alcohol - saline.
If the injury is caused by quicklime or an aluminum compound, no aqueous solution should be applied to the affected area. In this case, it is possible to use only vegetable oil. Lime particles remaining on the surface of the mucous membrane are removed with a sterile cotton swab.
In addition, contact with the irritant must be stopped. The procedure for washing the damaged area should be carried out carefully for 10-15 minutes.
To prevent painful shock, it is recommended to take a pain reliever. For a faster effect, cotton swabs soaked in Novocain or Lidocaine are inserted into the nostrils.
Therapy
Burned mucosa should be treated, taking into account the nature and extent of the lesion. So, with a thermal burn of the first degree, it is enough to independently rinse the nasal cavity with saline and apply drops to relieve puffiness, for example, "Dexamethasone" (these eye drops are quite suitable for relieving symptoms in our case).
In case of second-degree damage, after first aid, burn ointments are applied. The most popular are "Levomekol", "Vishnevsky Ointment", "Rescuer", and these ointments can be used for pregnant and lactating mothers, as well as children. "Dermazin", "Syntomycin Ointment", "Argosulfan" are recognized as effective means, but they have contraindications, therefore, you should consult a doctor before using them. Sea buckthorn oil contributes to the rapid recovery of the mucous membrane: it is applied 3-4 times a day and additionally helps to prevent a runny nose. Isotonic solutions (Dolphin, Aqualor) are also used to normalize the microflora of the mucous membrane.
With a more severe degree of damage, outpatient treatment is impossible, since drugs and procedures are required that are available only in a hospital or specialized hospital. As a rule, antimicrobial agents, medications and procedures aimed at relieving inflammation are prescribed. With severe tissue swelling, antihistamines and hormonal drugs, vitamins are prescribed.
Even if the burn was insignificant, and it was possible to cope with its visible consequences on our own, it is necessary to consult a doctor, since only a specialist can determine exactly what to do in each individual case. Without proper treatment, various complications arise in the form of sinusitis, rhinosinusitis and other diseases of the respiratory system, which can become chronic.
