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Hot iron burns in children

Megan Simons1, Darren Brady, Maria McGrady

  • 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stuart Pegg Paediatric Burns Centre, Royal Children's Hospital, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 3rd Floor, Foundation Building, Herston Road, Australia.

Burns : Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
|September 11, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Hot iron burns are a significant, preventable cause of injury in children. This study highlights the need for public education and improved iron safety features to reduce these common household accidents.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric burn injuries
  • Household accident prevention
  • Consumer product safety

Background:

  • Contact burns from irons represent a common and preventable cause of injury in children.
  • Previous documentation of these specific burn types is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To document and describe the characteristics of burns resulting from contact with hot irons in pediatric patients.
  • To identify risk factors and outcomes associated with iron burns in children.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective data collection from 50 children treated for iron burns between 1997 and 2001.
  • Analysis of patient demographics, burn cause (contact vs. cord pull), burn site, body surface area (BSA), interventions, complications, and hand preference.

Main Results:

  • The median age of affected children was 17 months.
  • Burns were primarily caused by touching the iron (44%) or pulling the cord (38%).
  • Seventy-six percent of burns affected the hands, with 36% requiring grafting and 42% resulting in scarring.

Conclusions:

  • There is a substantial opportunity for preventing hot iron burns in children.
  • A public education campaign is planned, including point-of-purchase information, media outreach, and lobbying manufacturers for enhanced safety features.
Abstract

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