What to do if the throat is scalded

Throat burns are very common. Most throat burns are caused by accidentally ingesting too hot food or drinks. Throat burns must be treated in time. If laryngeal edema occurs, breathing difficulties will occur, and severe cases may affect life safety. Therefore, if you find that you have been scalded, you must go to the hospital for examination and treatment immediately, and do not deal with it on your own.

What are the specific clinical manifestations of throat burns?

This is followed by symptoms such as high fever, drooling, cough, dysarthria, wheezing or difficulty breathing. Chemical injuries, due to the toxicity of the compounds, may cause symptoms such as drowsiness, dehydration, high fever, shock, and may even lead to death. Children may experience difficulty in sucking and irritability. In addition, there may be lack of energy, drowsiness, poor appetite, increased body temperature, and symptoms of poisoning that vary in severity. Dyspnea is caused by laryngeal edema and retention of throat secretions, which block the respiratory tract and are the main cause of death from throat burns. Most cases of dyspnea occur 5 to 10 hours after injury. Close observation should be made during this period. If there is no dyspnea after 24 hours, it can be considered that the patient has escaped the dangerous period of dyspnea.

Accidental swallowing of boiling water or chemical corrosives can cause damage to the oral mucosa and pharyngeal mucosa, and in severe cases, there may be serious symptoms of systemic poisoning. Burns are more common in young children. Common corrosive agents include strong acids, strong alkalis, lysol, carbolic acid, etc. If the corrosive agent is swallowed and enters the esophagus, esophageal burns will occur at the same time. The degree of pharyngeal mucosal burns will vary depending on the liquid temperature, the nature of the drug, the concentration, the volume entering and the residence time. The lesions can generally be divided into three degrees. The areas of the oral pharynx that are most seriously injured are often the lips and cheeks, pharyngeal isthmus, posterior pharyngeal wall, epiglottis and arytenoid area.

Specific disease causes of throat burns

Accidental swallowing of boiling water or chemical corrosives can cause damage to the oral mucosa and pharyngeal mucosa, and in severe cases, there may be serious symptoms of systemic poisoning. Burns are more common in young children. Common corrosive agents include strong acids, strong alkalis, lysol, carbolic acid, etc. If the corrosive agent is swallowed and enters the esophagus, esophageal burns will occur at the same time.

Throat burns can be divided into two categories: thermal burns and chemical burns. Most pharyngeal burns occur in children, mostly due to poor care of children, accidentally drinking boiling water or eating hot food. Adults are more likely to be injured by flames, high-temperature steam or other high-temperature liquids. Therefore, it is often accompanied by severe burns of the head, face, and neck. Chemical burns are mostly caused by accidental ingestion of caustic chemicals such as strong acids, strong alkalis, heavy metal salts, ammonia, etc., and often cause burns to the mouth and esophagus. When the mucous membrane comes into contact with alkaline corrosives, fats are saponified and proteins are dissolved, causing tissue liquefaction and necrosis. The lesions are highly penetrating and tend to develop into deeper layers. After the mucous membrane comes into contact with acidic corrosive agents, its pathological changes are mainly water absorption and protein coagulation. The local tissue shows coagulative necrosis changes. The penetrating power is slightly weak, and high concentrations can also cause serious damage.

How to diagnose, examine and treat

1. Diagnostic examination

The soft palate, uvula, posterior pharyngeal wall, epiglottis and lingual mucosa may be blistered, eroded or covered with white film. For mild burns without secondary infection, the white film will disappear on its own and the wound will heal after 3-5 days. 2-3 weeks after severe burns, due to the proliferation of connective tissue, scars and various adhesions are formed, and the throat may become narrow or even closed.

Diagnosis is usually not difficult based on medical history, clinical manifestations, and oral and throat examination. Children's throat burns sometimes have an unclear medical history and are easily misdiagnosed. They should be differentiated from throat contusion, diphtheria, laryngeal and tracheal foreign bodies, and acute laryngeal obstruction. The mortality rate of respiratory tract burns is very high, so it should be diagnosed early, treated promptly, and close attention should be paid to whether there are any signs of breathing difficulties. The remaining poison and containers of chemical corrosion injuries should be saved for inspection. Sometimes it is necessary to test the poison in vomitus, urine, and feces to assist in diagnosis. Patients with esophageal burns should be diagnosed and treated early to prevent esophageal scarring, stenosis or atresia.

2. Treatment Plan

1. For patients with severe burns, if they have difficulty breathing and the condition becomes increasingly severe, preparations should be made to perform a tracheotomy.

2. Neutralization therapy: Throat burns caused by strong acids and strong alkalis can be neutralized with neutralizers if the patient seeks medical attention immediately after the onset of the disease. Vinegar, orange juice, and lemon juice are used to neutralize alkalines; milk of magnesia and aluminum hydroxide gel are used to neutralize acids.

3. Choose antibiotics to effectively control infection.

4. Steroid hormones can prevent edema and connective tissue hyperplasia, and are suitable for more severe throat burns.

5. Mild burns can be treated symptomatically by applying gentian violet or lithospermum oil to the local wound surface, or spraying bismuth subcarbonate powder to protect the wound surface.

Quick treatment for throat burns and scalds

If your throat is burned, it will be very troublesome because it may affect your vocal cords, which may cause your voice to become abnormal and may cause irreversible permanent damage. Therefore, you should go to the hospital for treatment and examination as soon as possible.

1 The danger of throat burns is that laryngeal edema is found.

Difficulty breathing, even suffocation and shock may occur. Therefore, if a throat burn occurs, you should seek medical attention and treatment immediately. For mild pharyngeal burns, if only the pharyngeal mucosa is red, swollen or has small blisters, generally no special treatment is required and daily maintenance is sufficient. Stop eating overheated food

2 Pay more attention to your diet after a throat burn.

The mucous membrane area after burns is very sensitive. Do not continue to eat food or drink drinks that are too hot to avoid irritating the mucous membrane, aggravating pain and discomfort, or causing secondary burns. Don't eat spicy food

After a throat scald, local edema will quickly occur, reaching a peak within 4 to 8 hours, accompanied by difficulty breathing, wheezing, and hoarseness when crying. In severe cases, it may cause fever and even throat edema, blocking the airway, leading to suffocation or even death. Therefore, things that may cause throat burns should be actively avoided and prevented. You can use 10 grams each of the Chinese medicine Isatis indigotica, Schizonepeta tenuifolia, mint, Coptis chinensis, Platycodon grandiflorum, and licorice, decoct in water, let it cool, and then take it slowly.