Citation

Whittam A, Stone M, Anwar MU. J. Burn Care Res. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Burn Association, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1093/jbcr/iraa190

PMID

33136123

Abstract

The primary method of heating residential dwellings in the developed world is through central-heating radiators. These appliances are a major risk factor for contact burns, especially in individuals at the extremes of age. This paper presents our findings of radiator contact burns in adults treated at a regional burns service over a 6-year period.We identified a total of 116 patients. 60% were male. The mean age was 58 (range 16-97), 71% had at least one comorbidity, with a mean of 1.88 comorbidities for each patient (range 0-8). The mean TBSA was 1.7% (range 0.1-8). 33 patients (26%) required at least 1 operation with the average number of procedures being 1.45 (range 1 - 4). Mean length of stay was 16 days (range 0 - 98) compared to 7.5 days for all admitted patients across the same period. 4 patients died within 30 days of their injury, 7 within 90 days and 16 had died within 1 year of their injury. There have been previous smaller studies looking at contact burns from radiators in both adult and paediatric populations, demonstrating a bi-modal distribution at the extremes of age. This study is the largest of its kind looking specifically at an adult population and demonstrates that these injuries tend to occur in a population with a number of other co-morbidities. These patients often required prolonged hospital care.

Language: en

Keywords

legislation; burns prevention; central heating radiators; Contact burns