Director of UC San Diego Health Regional Burn Center Offers Life-Saving Tips during Burn Awareness Week

Each year, the UC San Diego Health Regional Burn Center admits approximately 400 patients, from infants to adults, and treats hundreds more as outpatients. About one-quarter of those patients are pediatric patients, with most under the age of five. During National Burn Awareness Week (Feb. 5 to 11, 2023), Jeanne Lee, MD, director of the Burn Center at UC San Diego Health, is available to discuss the below prevention tips for families.

“Scald burns comprise 35% of overall injuries admitted to burn centers in the United States, and more than 60% involve children aged 5 and younger,” said Lee. “These burns are typically a result of exposure to hot tap water or food and beverages heated on a stove or in a microwave. They are extremely painful and potentially life-threatening, and they can be prevented.”

Burn Prevention Tips:

• Hot water will burn skin at temperatures much lower than boiling point (212°F/100°C). In fact, it only takes three seconds of exposure to 140°F/60°C water to cause a burn serious enough to require surgery. Set water heaters at 120°F/48°C or just below the medium setting. A safe bathing temperature is 100°F.
• For hot beverages, consider using cups with tight-fitting lids, such as travel mugs, when children are nearby.
• Always use oven mitts or potholders to remove hot items from the stove or microwave. Use the back burners of the stove to prevent children from reaching up and touching hot pots and pans.
• Establish a “No Kids Zone” in the kitchen. Safe play areas where children can be supervised should be out of the traffic path between the stove and sink.
• Supervision is the single most important factor in preventing tap water scalds. If you must leave the bathroom while bathing a child, take the child with you.
• Have a conversation with children about never grabbing hair appliances that may still be hot after use. Always make sure to teach children to not grab objects that may be hot.
• Glass doors on gas fireplaces can reach excessive temperatures, and serious burns can occur in less than one second. Use safety gates, install screen barriers and supervise toddlers and young children around fireplaces.

The UC San Diego Health Regional Burn Center is the only one in San Diego and Imperial Counties and one of just 33 worldwide to be verified by the American College of Surgeons and American Burn Association as a pediatric and adult burn center. A multidisciplinary team is committed to helping patients heal emotionally and physically from mild, severe and life-threatening burn injuries. With leading-edge treatments, advanced diagnostic and surgical techniques and a comprehensive team approach to burn care, the team is able to respond to the most complex medical issues.

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