Toddler stable after burns

By Bridget Cook
A TODDLER suffered burns to about nine per cent of his body on Sunday after he grabbed a kettle and poured boiling water over himself.
Paramedics were called to the Hampton Park home just before 1.30pm and found the two-year-old being cared for by his parents.
Intensive care paramedic Samuel Marshall said the boy’s parents did the right thing by putting him in the bath, cooling his burnt skin with cool water.
Mr Marshall said paramedics were told that the boy somehow grabbed a kettle and poured boiling water over his chin, neck, chest and arm.
“I’d estimate that he suffered about nine per cent burns,” he said.
“They were partial thickness, so the skin was burnt down to the nerves and he was in obvious pain,” he said.
Mr Marshall said paramedics calmed the boy and his parents, while they continued to pour cool water over his burns.
“We then wrapped the affected areas in cling film to protect it and placed wet bandages over the outside of the film to continue cooling the skin,” he said.
“Because the boy had been in cool water for some time, we had to be careful that he didn’t develop hypothermia. We monitored his temperature, covered him with blankets and put the heater on high in the ambulance.
“We gave him pain relief though a nasal spray and later an injection to make him more comfortable. Thankfully that worked and he settled.”
The boy was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital in a stable condition.