Wallace’s rule is a method used for burns. With this rule, it is taken into account how much surface has been burned, in which areas of the body they have been and consequently and due to gravity and dimensions, the percentage that has been burned is taken into account.
Based on how this rule came to be, we must go to the year forty-seven. The idea came from Pulaski and Tennison.
Doctors, what they take into account is a total of one hundred percent. That is the total area. From that percentage, they value the burns and the quantity (dimensions). Doctors whenever a person has been affected by a burn and goes to a medical center, a hospital, medical services, ambulances, etc. They always keep in mind this rule that they call Wallace.
It also helps them, for example, to give priority between some patients and others. One patient with a percentage of the body burned and another, with less. Obviously, the one with the highest burned percentage would have priority over the other. This rule was made with the idea that doctors and, above all, in the face of a major emergency, the medical service have an idea of the seriousness with which they are treating and, therefore, give it more or less priority and take it into account if there are several victims affected by burns.
Instructions
- As we said, this rule is taken into account by percentages. Always being one hundred percent, as the maximum percentage.
- So that it can be somewhat easier to understand how they can calculate the percentages of burns, it would more or less be like this:
- Let’s imagine that a patient has burned an arm and this has been a percentage of 19% and a part of the foot has been burned, which is a percentage of 15%. What would be taken into account in this case is the percentage burned. If added, a percentage of 34% comes out. This would be the total burned for that patient.
- Each part of the burned body is taken into account, it does not matter if it is a foot, the back, a hand, the arm and the face (to give examples). They consider according to the dimensions in percentages and give priority according to the calculations (totally understandable, on the other hand).
- For most people, this rule of thumb for measuring burn dimensions is acceptable and understandable, but not for everyone. In fact, at the time, there was a controversy because it was said that people who were overweight or suffered from morbid obesity should have a different percentage than people who were at their weight or a normal weight.
- When we are talking about Wallace’s rule, it should be emphasized and stressed that this rule corresponds to adults. In minors, in children, it is not precise and does not apply.
- The reason they gave is clear. When children are little, they have bigger heads. Therefore, on the subject of head burns (which has its own percentage) in children, it could not be calculated well. The same thing that would happen with their little legs, arms, hands and feet. They are smaller, therefore, the accounts of the proportions and their percentages would not come out well.
- This rule for calculating the percentage of burns on the body is taken into account from the age of ten years onwards. For minors of that age, no.
- Obviously, they could not forget the little ones and that is why they have another rule and other values, which is called the rule of nine. Where appropriate, body parts and percentages are taken into account. Like this: the head would be 18%, to calculate each leg it would be 13.5%, to calculate the burns on the head, 18%. And for any other part of the body at least, it would be awarded the same percentage as an adult.
- As we already said, only the rule and the way of calculating it are changed, with the smallest areas of the children. The others are taken into account as in adults.
- There are other ways to quickly calculate the burned parts of a person. Apart from the most famous, which is Wallace’s rule. They never replace this rule, but they can help. For example, there is also the famous rule number one.
- What does it consist of? In measuring the dimensions burned quite quickly with the palm of the hand. In question, the hand of the affected person (the patient) will be taken and with the fingers extended and united, and with it, it will be extended over the body. What the hand covers will be percentages. In this way, for each palm (whole hand extended) it will be the same as saying a percentage.
- Of course, the severities of the burns are also taken into account, which is what is also taken into account. These can be and are classified as follows: mild burns, moderate burns and severe burns. They are also referred to as 1st degree burns, 2nd degree burns, and 3rd degree burns.
- Burns that are considered mild are those that correspond to a body percentage of less than 15%.
- Burns that are moderate are considered to be between 15% and 20% and correspond to second degree burns.
- Finally, serious burns are burns that are in the 3rd range. They are always indicated in cases with a burned percentage of more than 25%.
- When a burn is said to be first degree, it refers to a burn that, luckily, is only on a superficial level. That is, only the skin is burned. That does not mean that it does not work (on the contrary) because it is equally painful. In general, you usually notice some burning (to a greater or lesser extent), the inflamed and red area.
- Second degree burns: in this type of burn, not only the most superficial area of the skin comes into play, but also the internal part of it. In this type of burn the level of pain is more acute. Pain is felt, inflammation will also appear.
- How can you tell with the naked eye if a burn is first or second degree? Because in burns that are second degree, blisters will also appear. In first grade, no. Never, ever, under any circumstances, you have to puncture the blisters that may appear. Do not do it because you can cause a real problem. From serious infections, more pain, scars on the skin, etc.
- At the last level, there are burns that are third degree. These are the most serious burns, the most important and the most serious. In these burns, the deepest part of the skin has been burned. Many say that they feel almost no pain, others, on the other hand, do. In any case, the skin, depending on the type of burn, may appear whiter, blacker or totally burned. In general, in this type of burns there is always a scar.
- In the cases of second and third degree burns, it is always necessary to go quickly to a medical center. It is the doctors who must evaluate the burns, the surface they occupy, the place, how they have been produced and cure them correctly. You always have to follow the guidelines set by the specialists and cures should be done daily.
What do you need:
- Physiological serum.
- Sterile gauze.
- Bandages, adhesive tape, single-use gloves.
- Pair of scissors.
- Go quickly to a medical center, ER or hospital.
Tips
Once there are burns and not only one person, but there can also be several or many, doctors having a rule like Wallace’s rule or it can also be called the rule of nine, is extremely important and very decisive. In this way, they can quickly attend to patients according to the severity of the burns, the extent that they have been damaged (burned) and be able to attend to them as soon as possible. Why, obviously, a person who has received a minor burn on his foot and of second degree severity is not the same as a person who has burned his chest, hand and arm, with burns from second and third grade.
Before a burn, you have to react quickly, and go to the nearest medical center. Above all, do not tear off clothing, do not clean with products of any kind, if you see that you have blisters do not even think of pricking or touching them, do not touch the burn with your hands so as not to infect it, place the burned area under running water with warm water and place a gauze to go to the doctor. They will assess the case and the importance of the burn and if it is serious, they will be the ones who will heal the burns on a daily basis.