Heating artifacts become dangerous weapons! Beware of the hidden dangers of hot water bottles, electric blankets, and heating pads

This winter

Can't leave

Little sun, hot water bottle, electric blanket, warm baby...

But these heating devices are convenient

There are also some safety risks

If it doesn't work

There may be a

Difficult situations to handle

——Low temperature burns

In most people's impressions, burns only occur when boiling water, hot oil, etc. splash onto the body, and large blisters will appear immediately after being burned.

Image source: Publish

In fact, some objects that are only slightly hot and whose temperature is temporarily acceptable can also cause burns if you come into contact with them for a long time - this is what is called a low-temperature burn.

For example, if you come into contact with an object at around 45°C for 30 minutes, heat may accumulate in the contact area, causing burns on the skin surface and subcutaneous tissue.

When using a hot water bottle or electric blanket, if you feel that they only feel the effect when the temperature is higher, and you like to keep it directly on your skin for warmth, and you keep it in contact for an hour or two, it may end up being a "slow cooker" and eventually cause low-temperature burns.

Attention! The symptoms of low-temperature burns are not obvious, but that does not mean the consequences are not serious.

Low-temperature burns do not react immediately like ordinary burns and cause a grimace of pain.

In contrast, low-temperature burns are very subtle, with perhaps just a small area of ​​redness and some small blisters, and not so severe pain at first.

However, since low-temperature burns are caused by accumulated heat, you often suffer "internal injuries". Although the problem does not seem serious on the surface, the subcutaneous tissue and muscles may actually have been damaged.

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If the patient is exposed to the heat source for too long, the situation may be particularly serious, which may lead to deep tissue necrosis and ulceration of the injured part. This kind of injury is difficult to heal and may torture the patient for several months.

People at high risk of low-temperature burns are often the elderly, infants, or people with slow physical reactions and difficulty waking up from sleep.

This type of people are not so sensitive to temperature, so they are unaware of burns, and by the time they realize it, the situation may already be quite serious.

In addition, the elderly often have cold limbs and are very dependent on heating devices such as electric blankets, which also increases the probability of low-temperature burns. In addition, many elderly people have diseases such as diabetes and sequelae of stroke. Once they encounter low-temperature burns, the wound will be more difficult to heal.

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Of course, this kind of accident is not just for special groups of people. Ordinary people also need to be careful, especially those who wear very little to look "stylish" and like to use hand warmers. When using them, try not to use them too close to the skin. It is best to wear two layers of clothes.

First of all, some folk remedies that sound unreliable must be avoided, such as applying toothpaste, soy sauce, etc. These have nothing to do with burns and are of no use.

If it is really applied, it may cause side effects, leading to dehydration and contamination of the wound. Doctors shook their heads when they saw this, and the wound became more difficult to treat.

In addition, some of the usual ways of dealing with wounds are not suitable for burns, such as:

1. Apply red medicine and purple medicine

It is best not to use colored medicines on burns . If the situation is serious and you need to go to the hospital, these colors will affect the doctor's judgment.

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2. Apply ice directly to the wound

Although burns need to be cooled down, it is not appropriate to apply ice cubes directly to the wound. The skin is already more fragile after a burn, and direct contact with ice cubes may cause frostbite on the skin.

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There are two main ways to deal with it:

If the situation is not serious: use cold water to cool down and pay attention to changes in the injury.

In serious cases, for example, if the burn area is large, or if the condition worsens and the skin breaks, seek medical attention immediately and let a doctor treat it.

Knowing the power of low-temperature burns, how can we avoid them?

It’s very simple, and it can be summed up in one sentence: don’t be greedy for warmth.

Don’t be greedy for high temperatures: try to avoid exceeding 45°C;

Don't keep it on for too long: every half hour, try to get away from the heat source and walk around, or turn it off at a scheduled time.

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Experts collaborating on this article

References

[1] Tan Chunli, Liu Haiyan, Zhang Fengxia. Nursing of low-temperature burns in the elderly[J]. Journal of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, 2019, 33(02):126.

[2] Yang Hua, Liu Xiao, Wei Xuejing. Nursing of low-temperature burns in lower limbs of elderly patients with diabetes [J]. Journal of Practical Clinical Medicine, 2017, 21(10): 172-173+176.

[3] Su Jing. Causes, characteristics and treatment of low temperature burns[J]. Continuing Medical Education, 2015, 29(11): 109-110.

[4] Peng Jinxia, ​​Tian Shizheng. Treatment and health guidance of low-temperature burn wounds[J]. Chinese Journal of Aesthetic Medicine, 2015, 24(17): 16-17. DOI: 10.15909/j.cnki.cn61-1347/r.000684

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