This week’s blog for Community Safety Month tells the story of Nyve, who was rushed to the RCH with serious burns after an accident at home, and explains what you should do if your child is burnt or scalded.
The Premkumar family started their Friday night just like any other, preparing a meal and settling down for a night in with popcorn and a DVD. Instead, this particular Friday turned out to be the beginning of a traumatic few weeks that would leave them thankful yet wishing they had known more about what to do in an emergency burns situation.
Vicky Premkumar was busy preparing a dinner of wild rice for her family, whilst taking care of her youngest child, 10-month old Nyve. In a seemingly simple move to ensure she could take care of her daughter whilst cooking dinner, Vicky decided to place Nyve in her feeding chair in the kitchen. She turned her back for a second and what happened next was a freak accident and a cruel lesson that Vicky will never forget.
“Nyve spotted a black cord on the bench, and she wanted to investigate. The cord was attached to the rice cooker, which was still cooking! I heard a sound, a heavy grating sound. I turned to find Nyve pulling the rice cooker towards herself. The rice cooker tipped over. Hitting the bench, the boiling contents of rice and water sprayed out, above, under and all around Nyve.”
In a moment of panic Vicky grabbed a St John’s Ambulance First Aid magnetic book, which she had stuck to her fridge. Fumbling with the pages and with a million thoughts racing through her head, she managed to find a page on burns, which instructed her to hold her daughter’s burns under cool running water for 20 minutes. Vicky ran to a tap but when she applied the cool running water to Nyve’s burn, her daughter’s screaming amplified.
Vicky was hesitant to continue as she felt the treatment was hurting Nyve even more. Later, a doctor would tell her that “parents think their child is in pain under the running water but, they are crying because they don’t like what you are doing”. In fact, those 20 minutes of cool running water is crucial to speed healing and limit scarring. Vicky says, “it can be the difference between a superficial burn that heals naturally and a second/third degree burn that requires grafting.”
After four frantic calls to her husband and applying running water to the burns for as long as she possibly could, Vicky’s mobile finally rang. “It was my sister-in-law. She said ‘have you called the ambulance?’ No, I hadn’t. Why had I not called the ambulance?” Looking back, Vicky wishes she had known more about emergency situations like these. “Knowledge is not only empowering but it’s also very calming”, she said.
Nyve was rushed to The Royal Children’s Hospital where Vicky and husband Sanjay were told she had second degree burns to her arm. The burns could not heal naturally and required a skin graft, which involved surgery. Vicky has an important message for all parents and carers of young children. “If you do not know what to do in an emergency situation, please please do a first aid course.
I hope you never have to recall Nyve’s story, but if you do, remember to stay calm, place the person or burn injury under cool running water for 20 minutes and call an ambulance.”
For more information on burns and scalds visit the RCH Safety Centre website.