A medical expert has said that survivors of a gas explosion are exposed to renal failure and infections.
The medical expert is a Senior Registrar in Orthopaedics and Trauma at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi.
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He said that the survivors need multiple surgeries to heal properly if they sustain full-body injuries.
Okhuaihesuyi said that these burns can affect both superficial and deep skin.
In a chat with PUNCH HealthWise, Okhuaihesuyi who is also the immediate president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), spoke about the importance of surgery for burn survivors. He said the burns can cause a lot of problems.
His words: “The burn can occur from head to the toe, no part of the body is spared because you don’t know the part of the body it affects. Burns sustained from gas explosions tend to affect both the superficial skin and the deep skin.
“If the hair is burnt, it may never grow again, it may affect the eyes, leading to blindness and the patient can lose both eyes. The burns can affect the skin, the ears, and the mouth and the patient may need to undergo a skin graft or multiple surgeries for him to heal.
“The patient will suffer from dehydration due to the burnt skin because the skin serves as a protective mechanism. So, when the skin is burnt, it means that the patient is going to lose fluids and get exposed to multiple infections.”
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Okhuaihesuyi said that burns expose the body to both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
The physician said both bacteria cause diseases and require different treatments.
He also said that burns affect the kidney because patients get dehydrated from the loss of body fluids.
“The fluids lost tend to cause acute tubular necrosis and renal failure and the patients will need multiple dialyses.
“The patient will lose red blood cells and the patient becomes anaemic.
“The prevalence of contractures is high after burns and the patients will need multiple surgeries,” he said.
The health expert said that burns cause acute tubular necrosis. This condition often causes restriction of oxygen and blood flow to the kidneys, damaging them.
He noted that the management of patients with severe burns requires a multidisciplinary approach.
“You will need the plastic surgeon, you need the pulmonologist because the lungs and the airways can be affected, you also need good nursing care. Some may need rehabilitation. You will need a nephrologist because most of them may have acute renal failure.
“Managing such cases is time-consuming, money consuming, and most of them can’t even afford the treatment.”
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Okhuaihesuyi, however, said there is a need for a proper reorientation of Nigerians on the hazards of a gas explosion.
“Most times, gas stations, filling stations are situated where people stay; but this is hazardous, they should not be where people are populated. You need to educate them about the hazards of the gas. You need to teach them how to handle fire incidents, they need to have fire extinguishers and know how to use them.
“You must educate them that applying eggs or pap is not the right way of treating burns but early medical treatment is key,” he said.
Source: PUNCH HealthWise
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