Citation

Sever C, Kulahci Y, Uygur F, Oksüz S. Eplasty 2010; 10: e28.

Affiliation

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Burn Unit, Gulhane Military Medical Academy and Medical Faculty, Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Open Science)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

20396378

PMCID

PMC2852238

Abstract

Car seat technology has added numerous complex features to modern cars, including seat heaters, seat coolers, and computerized controls to adjust seat position. Once considered a luxury item, electric heated car seats are now commonplace and have been known to malfunction and become dangerously hot, which may cause third-degree burns. The surface temperature at the heated car seat may reach 120°F. This temperature may cause localized deep and even life-threatening burns within 10 minutes. Therefore, this injury is a major potential risk for patients with sensory deficits such as paraplegia, diabetes, vascular disease, stroke, and mental or physical disabilities. Small children may be unaware that the car seat heater is switched on and may also get injured. These burns are preventable and, therefore, some basic measures may reduce the incidence of accidental burn injury due to heated car seats.

We report a case of a 38-year-old man who suffered second- and third-degree burns measuring approximately 3 × 12 cm to his right perianal region as the result of contact with a faulty car seat heater. The patient was a backseat passenger who was paraplegic with underlying diabetes mellitus.

Language: en