LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Last year, University Medical Center’s Lions Burn Care Center saw only three patients hospitalized with pavement burns the entire month of June. This June, that number was up to at least 23 burn patients.
The first week of July, medical director Dr. Syed Saquib says the burn center admitted patients with pavement burns almost every day.
“A lot of it I think is connected to the fact that we are in the middle of a massive heat wave,” said Dr. Saquib.
Dr. Saquib said most commonly, they see patients who are drunk and fall on the hot pavement, some who have seizures and others who pass out from dehydration and can’t get off the pavement quick enough.
“And then individuals that have diabetes that’s so advanced that they can’t feel the soles of their feet, so they’re walking on the pavement barefoot without realizing that they’re burnt until it’s too late,” he added.
At 4 p.m. Monday, the air temperature in Henderson was 114°, but the pavement outside the FOX5 studio had heated up to 160°.
Dr. Saquib says with surfaces this hot, it only takes moments of contact to get a severe burn that could land you in the hospital for months.
“We’re talking about seconds to minutes,” he said. “The longer you’re in contact with that hot surface, the deeper those burns are going to be.”
Dr. Saquib said another common occurrence is people hopping out of the pool and walking barefoot to the shade — burning the soles of their feet on the way. He says the effects of a burn may take a few days to show up, and first and second-degree burns may not require hospitalization.
Third-degree burns or worse could mean months of surgeries to repair the skin.
“A third-degree burn classically is one where it’s pale, white, oftentimes it has that thick, leathery texture, and usually, they don’t have much pain associated because the nerve fibers have been severely damaged,” said Dr. Saquib. “When they get admitted, most of these folks are going to be here for a significant amount of time.”
For more tips on treating minor burns and when to seek medical attention, click here.
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