Burn unit/surgery

[CH52584]

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I am a 4th year about to start a burn unit rotation. I was in the OR today and stopped in to watch a bit of a burn case, and was completely overwhelmed by the smell 😱, so much that I couldn't stay in the room for longer than a minute or two. Does anyone with prior exposure to a burn unit or burn surgery have any suggestions for ways to reduce and/or tolerate the pungent odor so I will be able to stay in the room long enough to watch the entire surgery?

 

[MossPoh]

I recall a post about burn surgery stuff in the surgery forums around a year ago. It may be in there if you do a search.

All i know was that the ED trick where I was for really bad smells was some vick's vapor rub underneath the nose and a strong will.

 

[Janovec]

I have to work on the burn unit at my hospital. Vapor-rub is the only thing that works for me. Masks don't really help. I'm told you'll eventually get used to it but that hasn't happened for me yet.

 

[ParamedicMan]

👍 Vapor Rub.👍

Used it working EMS, took care of nearly everything from the long-dead to burns. Best thing besides an SCBA for nasty smells.

 

[Gabby]

Do you guys actually put the stuff IN your nose? I tried it under my nose once and it didn't do much. You're not supposed to put it in, are you?

 

[ParamedicMan]

Apply liberally underneath, right at the nares. You could try putting it in, but it might burn a wee bit if you inhale too hard. 😱

 

[Smurfette]

Benzoin wiped onto your mask works pretty well. May need to be re-applied a couple hours into the case, but really helps cut through the smell well.
Sometimes the nurses will put iodoform strips around the room (it absorbs some odors to help the room not reek quite as bad...but it takes some time to really work)

 

[MossPoh]

Makes me glad to know I wasn't just making this up and it is actually done at other places.

 

[sumstorm]

My father was a volunteer firefighter when I was younger. The guys, when helping EMT, would also use essential oils just inside the nostrils, particularly citrus ones.

When I did whale necropsies (pretty nasty) I would use vaporub just inside my nostrils...not much at all, but it helped a lot.

 

[MossPoh]

Who hasn't been stuck in a whale necropsy where they wished they had a little extra vaporub?

 

[ParamedicMan]

"Who hasn't been stuck in a whale necropsy where they wished they had a little extra vaporub?"

...so many things to say, so many ways to get kicked off of the forum...

 

[MossPoh]

Yup.....that's the point.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Never seen any burn surgeries but I'm assuming a lot of the problem is the result of bovie smoke. Offer to suction the smoke and they will all probably love you for it. (After you have proper vicks prophylaxis).

 

[MossPoh]

It doesn't help that the room is kept very warm during burn surgery.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

There's some Bovie-ing going on, but no more than other surgeries. My main problem with burn surgeries is that they keep the room at like 95+ degrees, and you're holding arms/legs/etc in weird positions for extended periods of time. Hydration is key.

I haven't really noticed too much of a smell, but in general I pretty much always chew gum during surgeries, partly for smell prophylaxis. On peds surgery we were manually disimpacting some kid, and the nurses kept rubbing some cherry-smelling stuff on the mask, but it only lasted 5 min before it needed re-applying.

 

[MossPoh]

I remember in the surgery forum thread a resident or someone mentioned that burn surgery was always provided a cooler of water and gatorade in the OR at their hospital. That seems to be a pretty good indicator of the suck.

 

[canjosh]

Benzoin in the mask is ok....or BREATHE THRU YOUR MOUTH.