Which antibiotic is best for burns? (English)

Antibiotics for burns are prescribed to speed up the recovery process and prevent complications. The action of such drugs is aimed at preventing infectious lesions on the surface of wounds. This eliminates inflammatory processes and also accelerates tissue regeneration, preventing the appearance of scars.

Indications for use

In what cases are antibiotics prescribed for burns?

A mandatory part of the treatment of second-degree burns is the use of various ointments and solutions. Antibacterial agents for local use are prescribed for the treatment of deep skin lesions, the coverage area of which is at least 10% of the body.

In addition, antibiotic drugs are recommended in the following situations:

Electrical injuries.
Thermal burns, including steam, hot objects, oil and boiling water.
Burns caused by exposure to various chemical compounds. These can be alkalis, acids, iodine, mustard plasters, etc.

In addition, antibacterial drugs are always prescribed for open wounds and blisters. This helps stop the development of a bacterial infection, as well as eliminate the resulting inflammatory process.

When should ointments not be used?

Antibacterial ointments are not used in cases where the burn is assessed as first degree and the integrity of the skin is not compromised. The prescription of antibiotics for bacterial burns should be made by a doctor, who is based on the results of the examination of the patient. In this case, the specialist takes into account such aspects as the area and depth of the injuries received, the stage and degree of the burn, the presence of complications, the age and health indicators of the patient, the presence of allergies and hypersensitivity of the skin.

The use of antibacterial drugs makes it possible to suppress the development of infectious processes that occur with extensive and deep damage to the skin. Taking antibiotics for burns helps eliminate inflammation, which speeds up the regeneration process.

Local preparations

A specialist will help you choose the optimal antibiotic based product depending on the extent and depth of skin damage. There are different options of medications for treating burn lesions including ointments, dressings, tablets, etc.

Let's look at the most popular sprays and ointments with antibiotics for burns.

Thermal burns are best treated with aerosols, creams, and ointments that have an anesthetic and antimicrobial effect. The most commonly used drugs are:

Ointments, the main component of which is silver sulfadiazine - “Silvederm”, “Dermazin”, etc.
Creams with an antibacterial effect - “Cloromicol”, “Levomekol”. These products help cleanse wounds of pus and accelerate the regeneration process.
"Olazol" in the form of an aerosol, "Levosin" in the form of an ointment. The composition, in addition to antibacterial substances, includes analgesic components, which is very important in the treatment of deep and extensive skin damage.
The most accessible and effective antibiotics for treating burns are Tetracycline and Levomycetin. These drugs are also produced in ointment form. Antibiotics have a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity against most pathogenic microorganisms. Most drugs prescribed for the treatment of burns are prepared on the basis of chloramphenicol or tetracycline.
To stop the infection at the initial stage, ointments such as “Streptonitol”, “Dioxidin” and “Gentamicin ointment” are used.

In some cases, only local treatment of the affected skin is not enough, so other options for antibacterial therapy are prescribed.

What other treatment is used for bacterial burns with antibiotics?

Preparations for oral administration

To enhance the effect of topical medications, the doctor may decide to prescribe oral medications. Against the background of damage to the epidermis by third or fourth degree burns, body temperature rises, nausea and vomiting occur, the body’s immune properties are weakened and resistance to various infections is reduced. All these factors lead to longer wound healing. Taking antibiotics orally maintains the body in a state capable of resisting pathogenic microflora.

Your doctor will tell you which antibiotic to choose for a burn.

The following antibacterial drugs are most often prescribed for the treatment of burns:

"Ceclor" and "Cefazolin". These drugs have a low level of toxicity. They have a minimal list of contraindications and can be prescribed to treat burns covering no more than 15% of the body.
To prevent infectious lesions, penicillin-based drugs are prescribed. "Bicillin" effectively relieves inflammation, redness, swelling, pain and removes exudate.
To spur regeneration processes, the patient is advised to take Ampicillin and Amoxicillin. These antibiotics are effective for burns with boiling water.
If burns are assessed as third degree of severity, Cefixime and Ceftriaxone are prescribed.
To prevent complications, as well as the development of bacterial infection, Fluconazole, Nystatin and Metronidazole can be used.

Risk group

Treatment of burns should be prescribed by a specialist, since independent use of antibacterial drugs can cause complications and delay recovery. Elderly patients, children, and women during gestation and breastfeeding are at particular risk.

It should be taken into account that oral antibiotics are prescribed after third-degree burns. In the first and second cases, taking drugs orally is not advisable.

Anti-burn dressings

The pharmaceutical market also offers dressings impregnated with analgesic and antibacterial ointments and solutions. Applications help prevent scarring and speed up the healing process of wounds. Most often, doctors prescribe the following antibacterial dressings:

"Branolind." The composition includes Peruvian balsam, which has a powerful antibacterial effect. The bandage is often used to treat thermal household burns.
“Voskorpan” with levomekol ointment. The drug is made on the basis of beeswax, which ensures rapid healing and removal of exudate.
"Activtex" is a dressing material with a powerful antiseptic and analgesic effect. One bandage remains effective for three days. The bandage helps prevent complications from burns.

Infectious lesions are not treated with antiseptic dressings. Their action is aimed at protecting the wound from infection. Bandages can cause an allergic reaction and also have a number of contraindications, so they should be used with caution.

Special Recommendations

Treating burns with antibiotics minimizes the risk of complications. Preparations based on antibacterial substances are potent, and therefore have a number of contraindications for use. In addition, with the use of antibiotics, adverse reactions and overdose cannot be ruled out.

To prevent complications, a number of recommendations must be followed when treating burns:

You should not start taking antibiotics for first-degree burns. If the integrity of the skin has not been compromised, there are no open wounds or blisters, conventional medications for local use are sufficient for treatment. The best option would be Panthenol aerosol.
Avoid using oils and fatty creams to treat affected skin areas.
Do not squeeze the contents of blisters or open formations in unsanitary conditions.
Antibacterial drugs should not be given to a child under three years of age unless this is included in the therapeutic regimen prescribed by the doctor.

Prevention of complications

The inclusion of antibacterial drugs in the treatment regimen for burns can significantly alleviate the patient’s condition and relieve the severity of symptoms. In addition, such treatment prevents complications. Antibiotics are prescribed strictly in consultation with the doctor after examination.

Reviews

There are different reviews about the treatment of burns with antibiotics. Experts consider this an effective way to prevent infections and speed up the healing process, especially when it comes to extensive and serious injuries. Doctors warn against independent use of antibacterial drugs, even those intended for local use.

Patients also respond positively to antibiotics for burns. Many are helped by the simplest and most common options, like the mentioned tetracycline and chloramphenicol. Others require a combination of several antibiotics or stronger medications.

The situation is worse with the treatment of advanced and severe cases when the skin lesions are too extensive. In such a condition, antibiotics can be dangerous to the life and health of the patient.

Antibiotics for burns are medications that are prescribed to heal the affected areas of the skin. They are aimed at suppressing infection in the wound. The spread of microbes slows down the restoration of the epidermis and leads to the formation of scars, which subsequently remain unchanged.

How to use antibiotics for burns

Antibiotics are recommended for use only for 1-2 degree burn injuries. This method of treatment is inappropriate for stages 2-3, as well as with deep affected areas, the localization of which exceeds 10-15% of the body.

In a hospital setting, the doctor will determine the stage of thermal damage to the epidermis and create a comprehensive treatment.

The doctor decides whether to prescribe antibiotics for a 2nd degree burn, citing the following factors:

age;
chronic diseases (diabetes), infections;
extent of thermal damage and localization zone;
sensitivity and allergy to a particular drug.

Features of use for burns of 2 and 3 degrees

Antibiotics for 2nd and 3rd degree burns are allowed to be used if the affected area is small. For home treatment, it is necessary to maintain sterility to prevent infection.

In everyday life, antibiotics are used for burns with boiling water. Unpleasant incidents often occur in young children, less often in adolescents.

Antibiotics help strengthen the immune system and fight pathogenic microorganisms. If they are not used, it is possible to get complications in the form of pneumonia, sepsis, lymphadenitis.

For rapid wound healing, external antibacterial ointments and creams, homemade tinctures, and solutions are taken together.

Antibiotics for external use

Topical antibiotics (those that pass through the esophagus) have an antimicrobial effect. Here is a list of the most popular drugs:

Ointments containing silver sulfadiazine. These include drugs such as Sulfadiazine, Silvederm, Dermazin.
Iodopirone and Iodovidone. They have a strengthening effect on the immune system; such solutions with a 1% concentration are most often prescribed. Used after treating a sunburn with antiseptics such as Furacilin, Miramistin and Chlorhexidine.
Ointments Levomekol, Levosin, Clormikol.
Drugs that eliminate the source of infection when burn blisters begin to burst. These include Dioxidin, Streptonitol (contains nitazol) and gentamicin ointment.

All products are suitable for external use at home. Before use, you should consult your doctor for any contraindications or allergic reactions.

Preparations for systemic use

Internal medications have a stronger effect than topical medications.

When burns occur, the body's immunity decreases, resulting in complications such as nausea and high fever, and scars may not heal for a long time. Internal antibiotics are needed to normalize the functions of the immune system. They are prescribed by a doctor in combination with antiseptic ointments and creams.

Medicine offers many drugs in tablet form. We do not recommend taking pills on your own; consult your doctor.

List of the most effective antibiotics for various degrees of thermal and chemical skin damage:

Ceclor, Cefuroxime, Cefazolin. The drugs are non-toxic and have virtually no contraindications; they are used in the first and second stages, as well as for toxicemia.
Bicillin. Kills the root of infection in the wound due to the main component in the composition - penicillin. Relieves swelling and itching.
Amoxicillin and disodium salt, Ampicillin. Prevents the development of sepsis and promotes rapid restoration of the skin on the arms and legs.
Aminoglycosides, which belong to the second generation, contain a beta-lactam substance. In the pharmacy they are found under the names Unazin and Sulacillin.
Cefixime, Cefotaxime, Ceftriaxone. Treat third stages of burn injuries.
Nystatin, Fluconazole. Used for complications after healing, such as fungal infection.
Clindamycin and Metronidazole. Prescribed for an infection that quickly spreads throughout the body.

This is not the entire list of medications prescribed for burn injuries. More often, the doctor recommends undergoing a course of therapy, which consists of taking several medications. At the third stage of burns, when the wound area is too large, hospitalization is recommended. Home treatment in such cases will be ineffective and life-threatening.

Contraindications

If you act incorrectly when dealing with burn injuries, you can cause irreparable harm to your health and appearance. To prevent this from happening, consider several general contraindications:

It is forbidden to lubricate wounds with fatty creams or oils;
It is not recommended to apply ice cubes to burns, this can cause frostbite of the tissue;
It is forbidden to press or open blisters on the body yourself;
It is prohibited to use alternative medicine recipes without the approval of a doctor;
It is prohibited to use external products for the eyes, throat and other mucous membranes;
It is not recommended to give antibiotics to a child under three years of age.

Antibacterial therapy occupies an important place in the complex of measures aimed at eliminating and preventing various infections developing in burn wounds. Dead tissue present in the area of any burn injury serves as a favorable environment for the proliferation of pathogens.

Why are antibiotics prescribed?

Antibiotics for burns are prescribed to suppress the so-called microbial invasion, which not only slows down the wound healing process, but also promotes excessive scarring, creates certain difficulties in the plastic closure of burn wounds, and also poses an immediate threat to the life of the injured person. In the structure of mortality of burn patients, infections account for more than 75%.

Deep and extensive burn lesions, entailing a number of pathological processes and accompanied by burn disease, create additional prerequisites for the generalization of the infectious process and are the reason for prescribing antibiotics. In addition to the loss of a large area of protective skin, the body experiences a breakdown of the most important metabolic and neurotrophic functions, leading to the destruction of anti-infective defense factors.

Who is antibacterial therapy indicated for?

The use of antibacterial drugs to treat victims with second or third degree burns, as well as with deep but limited wounds, the area of which does not exceed 10% of the body surface, is considered inappropriate. The only exceptions are some patients:

Elderly people;
Victims with chronic infections and diabetes;
Patients admitted for treatment late in life with severe signs of infection.

The burn severity levels listed above typically include:

almost all household thermal burns - steam, boiling water, oil, household items (iron, frying pan, saucepan, etc.);
electrical - electric shock;
chemical - iodine, brilliant green, mustard plaster, etc.

accompanied by redness of the skin and the appearance of blisters/blisters.

And even more so, you should not “stuff” victims with first-degree burns with antibiotics, which can also be obtained in all of the above cases.

Antibiotics for burns are prescribed by the attending physician based on a comprehensive examination of the victim’s condition, if the degree of damage is fourth or 3B. In doing so, it takes into account the following parameters:

Depth and extent of the lesion;
Stage of burn disease;
Presence of complications;
Age and immune status of the victim;
The nature and severity of concomitant pathologies;
Sensitivity to a particular prescribed drug.

Treatment tactics

Antibacterial therapy aimed at treating and preventing infections is an integral part of a set of measures prescribed for the development of burn disease. To prevent the occurrence of infectious complications, treatment of victims begins during the period of burn shock and continues with acute burn toxemia and septicotoxemia. In addition to topical medications and systemic antibacterial therapy, general treatment methods can be used in an abacterial environment: isolators and Clinitron beds.

The choice of drug for local antibacterial therapy requires an individual approach and depends on the characteristics of the wound process. The most commonly used preparations are silver sulfadiazine, dressings with a 1% solution of iodopirone and iodovidone, and water-soluble ointments based on chloramphenicol or dioxidine. Systemic antibacterial therapy is also strictly individual in nature and is prescribed to patients with deep burns, the area of which exceeds 10% of the body surface. In case of mild infection, they are limited to intramuscular administration of drugs; in more severe cases, they resort to intravenous infusions.

Systemic antibacterial therapy is carried out using drugs that have a wide spectrum of action: a combination of cefoperazone with sulbactam, semisynthetic penicillins, third generation cephalosporins, aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones. For lesions of bone structures, lincomycin is used. If an anaerobic non-clostridial infection is detected during treatment, metronidazole or clindamycin is prescribed; for a fungal infection, nystatin or fluconazole is prescribed.

Any infectious process that originates in a burn wound can provoke the development of severe complications: sepsis, pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, purulent arthritis, urinary tract infection, as well as myocarditis, endocarditis, lymphadenitis and lymphangitis.

The main importance in the fight against generalized infection is given to rational antibacterial therapy, which involves weekly microbiological monitoring. In severe cases of the disease, combination antibacterial therapy is used, which involves the simultaneous use of two or three drugs.

The use of antibiotics in the complex treatment of burn injuries can reduce the severity of various infectious complications that pose a threat to the lives of injured people. What antibiotics should I take for burns? The answer to this question can only be given by a specialist who has made an appointment based on a comprehensive examination of the victim.

Which antibiotic is best for burns? (English)

Which antibiotic is best for burns?