Citation

Hardon SF, Haasnoot PJ, Vries AM. J. Med. Case Reports 2019; 13(1): e304.

Affiliation

Burn Center, Red Cross Hospital, Beverwijk, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s13256-019-2231-4

PMID

31554506

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Increased smartphone use among minors makes our population more prone to electrical injury. Despite regulations on electrical home safety standards, smartphones and chargers still pose a risk for severe injury among users. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a patient with low-voltage electrical burns due to smartphone use in a bathtub. The 13-year-old Caucasian patient was using a smartphone plugged into the electrical grid while taking a bath. We report the burns and their treatment. We discuss the likely burn mechanism.

CONCLUSIONS: Burn wounds after electrical injury due to smartphone use are rare. The presented case shows the danger of smartphone use in bathtubs.

Language: en

Keywords

Bathtub; Burn wounds; Electrical injury; Smartphone