Comparison of the characteristics of hot tap water scalds and other scalds in Germany.
Accidents, Home
/ prevention & control
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Body Surface Area
Burn Units
Burns
/ etiology
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Germany
Humans
Infant
Intensive Care Units
Length of Stay
/ statistics & numerical data
Male
Middle Aged
Sanitary Engineering
Surgical Procedures, Operative
/ statistics & numerical data
Water
Young Adult
Accident
Burn intensive care unit
Hot tap water
Scald
Total burned surface area
Journal
Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
ISSN: 1879-1409
Titre abrégé: Burns
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 8913178
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
05 2020
05 2020
Historique:
received:
22
07
2018
revised:
21
09
2019
accepted:
01
10
2019
pubmed:
5
11
2019
medline:
22
6
2021
entrez:
5
11
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Mortality associated with hot tap water scalds remains significant, owing to a lack of up-to-date regulations on tap water temperature. We aimed to evaluate the effect of hot tap water scalds on patients admitted to our adult burn intensive care unit (BICU), and compare them to those with other scald types. We enrolled patients treated for scalds at the BICU of Cologne-Merheim Medical Center from 1989 to 2014, and retrospectively analyzed their age, sex-specific differences, characteristics, length of hospital stay, number of operations, and mortality. Patients were categorized into two groups: patients with hot tap water scalds and those with all other types of scalds. A total of 333 patients were enrolled. In 23.4% (n=78) of the cases, the scalds were associated with hot tap water. Such injuries were more commonly observed in older men than women. Hot tap water scalds involved a significantly higher total burned surface area (TBSA) than other scalds, with TBSA values of 24.0% and 15.9% for men, and 21.8% and 10.9% for women, respectively. Hot tap water scald patients had a greater number of surgeries and longer BICU stays (27.8 days vs 9.1 days), and significantly higher mortality values (30.8% (n=24) vs 4.7% (n=12)) than those with the other scald types. Hot water scalds are associated with large TBSAs, long stays in the BICU, and worse outcomes compared to the other scald types.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND/AIM
Mortality associated with hot tap water scalds remains significant, owing to a lack of up-to-date regulations on tap water temperature. We aimed to evaluate the effect of hot tap water scalds on patients admitted to our adult burn intensive care unit (BICU), and compare them to those with other scald types.
METHODS
We enrolled patients treated for scalds at the BICU of Cologne-Merheim Medical Center from 1989 to 2014, and retrospectively analyzed their age, sex-specific differences, characteristics, length of hospital stay, number of operations, and mortality. Patients were categorized into two groups: patients with hot tap water scalds and those with all other types of scalds.
RESULTS
A total of 333 patients were enrolled. In 23.4% (n=78) of the cases, the scalds were associated with hot tap water. Such injuries were more commonly observed in older men than women. Hot tap water scalds involved a significantly higher total burned surface area (TBSA) than other scalds, with TBSA values of 24.0% and 15.9% for men, and 21.8% and 10.9% for women, respectively. Hot tap water scald patients had a greater number of surgeries and longer BICU stays (27.8 days vs 9.1 days), and significantly higher mortality values (30.8% (n=24) vs 4.7% (n=12)) than those with the other scald types.
CONCLUSIONS
Hot water scalds are associated with large TBSAs, long stays in the BICU, and worse outcomes compared to the other scald types.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31679795
pii: S0305-4179(18)30629-6
doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2019.10.001
pii:
doi:
Substances chimiques
Water
059QF0KO0R
Types de publication
Comparative Study
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
702-710Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.