What immediate treatment should be applied to a patient with a severe burn?

Cooling the burn with running water for 10-20 minutes is the standard immediate treatment for a severe burn. This method helps to lower the skin temperature, reducing the depth of injury and preventing further tissue damage. It also alleviates pain and can minimize the inflammatory response that occurs after a burn injury. The use of cool running water is effective in dissipating heat from the burn area, which is critical in the management of burns to ensure optimal healing and reduce complications.

Applying ice packs is not advisable because it can cause further damage to the tissue, as extreme cold can lead to ice burn or exacerbate the injury. Covering the burn with a dry dressing should be done after the cooling period, but it is not a primary immediate treatment. Additionally, throttling the affected area to manage pain could cause more harm and is not a recognized approach for pain management in burn injuries. Therefore, cooling the burn with running water is the correct and most effective initial intervention.