Prevention of paediatric hot beverage scalds

Abstract

Hot beverage scalds are a painful and, unfortunately, common burn injury in children accounting for 1 in 5 of all childhood burns treated. Despite the high incidence, physical suffering, potential psychological issues, and significant financial costs to the healthcare system, there is a paucity of research and initiatives aimed at preventing hot beverage scalds (HBS). The aim of this research is to provide a better understanding of HBS injuries and develop an intervention aimed at preventing them.The research was undertaken in four stages-each informing the subsequent stages-and culminating in a HBS prevention intervention strategy. In Stage 1, the magnitude of the injury was highlighted through a retrospective trend analysis which compared data on children presenting to a major paediatric burn centre in Brisbane, Australia, with historical data from the same burn centre 10 years earlier. Stage 2 investigated the potential risk and protective factors for HBS through a cross-sectional survey of parents/caregivers of young children with HBS delivered, via iPad prior to the child's burn dressing change. This survey provided detailed information about the circumstances surrounding the scald injury-before, during and immediately after.Evidence shows that applying optimal first aid treatment to a burn/scald (20-minutes of cool running water within 3 hours of the burn occurring) significantly improves wound outcomes; however, there is poor knowledge and use of correct burn first aid in the general population.Due to the high level of reporting of Internet use as a primary source of burn first aid information, identified in Stage 2, Stage 3 of this thesis comprises an analysis of burn first aid information available on the Internet. Combining findings from Stages 1-3, an innovative burn prevention intervention was developed: Cool Runnings. This two-group, parallel, single-blinded, randomised controlled trial (RCT) used a gamified, app-based intervention to improve knowledge among Queensland-based mothers of young children about childhood burn risks and burn first aid. This thesis presents the findings from these four studies. Stage 1 confirmed that the high proportion of HBS has not changed since 1999-2002; HBS still account for 20% of all childhood burns treated. The majority of HBS (75%) occur in children under 2 years old, often in the child's home, and are witnessed by an adult. Stage 2 showed the supervising adult was usually in close proximity to the child when the injury occurred (often within arm's reach) but were often distracted by food/drink preparation or attending to other family

The Role of Brown Adipose Tissue and Energy Metabolism in Mammalian Thermoregulation during the Perinatal Period

“…To use these methods, it is important to compare the effect of different rearing temperatures with water at different temperatures to specify which stimulus maximizes BAT function [ 75 ]. Moreover, warm water administration might cause adverse effects to newborns when the temperature of the water is too high, causing burns and scalds, particularly in human infants [ 181 ]. In addition, although there are no studies in animals, in humans it has been reported that drinking warm (50–52 °C) or cold fluids alters evaporative heat loss by sweating and muscle activation, a change that can occur within one minute after warm water ingestion and might represent an increase in heat loss by sweating [ 182 ].…”