With winter weather upon us, what better way to cope with falling temps than having a hot cup of cocoa in front of a warm, inviting fire? This may be a serene scene to many, but for those who deal with medical emergencies involving burns, it's cause for concern. Hot liquids and fireplaces can pose serious safety issues for children.
“Approximately 440,000 children receive medical attention annually in the United States for burn-related injuries,” says Jenny Ziembicki, medical director of the UPMC Mercy Burn Center in Pittsburgh. Thermal injuries – those resulting from heat – are the most common type of childhood burn. “This includes flame, scald and contact injuries,” Ziembicki says.
Younger children are especially vulnerable. In a study of 1,215 kids treated for burns across the United Kingdom during a two-year period – published online last February in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood – 72 percent of the victims were under age 5; the majority were only a year old. Researchers attributed this to the increased mobility and curiosity of infants exploring their environment. More than 700 of the children were treated for scald injuries – more than half of which were caused by hot drinks. Tea was the most common culprit, and all of the burns occurred at home.
Though this study was conducted in Europe, these types of injuries are prevalent in the United States, too. “We see up to 100 children per year under the age of 12 in our burn center,” says Jay Collins, who oversees the trauma and burn programs at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia and is a professor of surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School. “The majority are burns due to scalds as a result of hot liquids being spilled in the kitchen.”
Besides hot drinks such as coffee or tea, a major burn source in the kitchen is instant soup. These often come in Styrofoam cups and require little more than hot or boiling water, which can be an accident waiting to happen.
“[It’s a] common food eaten by many young children,” Collins says. “Once heated, the child will attempt to carry the cup to the table. However, the cup may be too hot and the child drops or spills the item, resulting in a scald burn.”
Instant noodle soups are especially dangerous. Not only are the cups they come in prone to tipping over, but the noodles themselves, which conduct heat, can stick to skin. “They may cause significant burns over the lower trunk and legs that may require grafting,” Ziembicki says.
A 2007 study published in the Journal of Burn Care & Research found that the average hospital stay for noodle soup burn victims was significantly longer than it was for those with other soup burns. While the boiling temperature of broth-only and noodle soup is essentially the same, the cooling curve of noodle soup is much slower, making it much more harmful.
Parents should always supervise children in the kitchen, especially when using a microwave or when the oven or burners are on. “Pots should be on the back burner with the handles out of reach,” Collins says. “Do not serve steaming hot foods to children."
In addition to kitchen accidents, bathroom injuries from hot water happen frequently. Caretakers should submerge their hands in the bath water for at least five seconds to test it. “If it’s too hot, do not place your child in the tub,” Collins warns. “If available, use a bath thermometer.” Aim for 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Other bathroom hazards include hair straighteners and curling irons. Some flat irons can reach a high of 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Contact burns usually occur when “a toddler-aged child reaches up for the [heated device],” Ziembicki says. “These [burns] may be quite deep in nature.”
Though contact burns are less common than scalds, they often occur from touching hot objects such as space heaters, oven doors, barbecue pits and fireplace covers, which become a considerable hazard this time of year.
A 2012 survey revealed that more than 10 million homes have a gas fireplace with a glass front and more than half of residents in those households don’t realize the glass can become very hot when the fireplace is in use and will continue to stay hot long after the flames have gone out. When children teeter into the glass or touch it when exploring, contact burns can result.
Gas fireplaces should have a sturdy screen in front to prevent kids from touching the hot glass, Collins says. A mandatory safety standard now requires all certified gas fireplaces manufactured after Jan. 1, 2015 to have a safety screen or protective barrier installed.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
from U.S. News - Health http://ift.tt/1BAOpIs
No comments:
Post a Comment