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Burn wounds after electrical injury in a bathtub: a case report
Sem F Hardon1, Pieter J Haasnoot2, Annebeth Meij-de Vries2,3
1Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC - VU University Medical Center, Room ZH 7F 020, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.hardon@vumc.nl.
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.
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