"Warm Baby" burns you without you noticing! When it's cold, be careful of low temperature burns!

As the temperature drops, a wide variety of warming gadgets have come onto the market, and more and more people are using heat pads.

However, if the hot pack is used improperly, it may cause persistent low-temperature burns.

Case 1: A 70-year-old man suffered continuous low-temperature burns on his abdomen from using a warming patch.

Case 2: A 13-year-old child was scalded by the metal cover of an electric hand warmer.

Case 3: An 83-year-old man with diabetes was scalded when using a hot water bottle to keep warm while sleeping.

Popular Science Knowledge:

1. Why is it easy to get burned when using a hot pack?

The temperature of a hot pack can reach 50-60℃. If you use a hot pack while sleeping, it will be in close contact with the local skin for a long time, causing progressive damage from the shallow to the deep (from the shallow dermis to the deep dermis and subcutaneous tissues).

When the heat gradually accumulates, it may cause skin burns. Especially the elderly, children, and diabetics are more vulnerable to low-temperature burns due to their relatively weak skin perception or body perception defects caused by underlying diseases, so they should use it with caution.

2. What should you do if you are accidentally scalded by a hot pack?

If you are accidentally scalded by a heat pack, you should remove the heat pack immediately, apply ice for 15-30 minutes to lower the skin temperature and relieve the pain, then seek medical attention as soon as possible to prevent the burn wound from getting deeper. If the burn is mild without blisters, you can apply burn ointment and observe; if the burn is severe with blisters, epidermal loss, etc., be sure to seek treatment from a specialist to avoid delaying the injury and causing complications such as wound infection.

It is important to keep warm in winter, and it is even more important to use the hot pack correctly. Let us enjoy the warmth while staying away from the risk of continuous low temperature burns!

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Hu Jinlu, Burns and Plastic Surgery Department, Hunan Wangwang Hospital

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(Edited by Wx)