Scald Burns While Bathing Among Elderly People in Japan

Osamu Okamoto,Hiroyuki Hashimoto,Rui Suzuki

doi:10.7759/cureus.19842

Abstract

Night baths are an essential and beloved tradition in Japanese households. The main purpose of taking a bath at the end of the day, besides hygiene, is relaxation. The aging population is rapidly growing in Japan, as one in three people are approaching the age of 65 years or older. Furthermore, with the progress of nuclear families, the number of households with only elderly people and the need for elderly care is increasing. In recent years, elderly people experienced burns caused by hot water during bathing. We report two cases of water bath burns experienced by elderly people.The first is a case of a 68-year-old woman who presented with a history of type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis in both knees. She did not notice that the bath stopper was unplugged while she was taking a bath, and she added hot water at around 44°C. She was exposed to hot fluid on the right foot and suffered deep dermal burns. However, due to knee osteoarthritis, it became difficult for her to move. Two hours after taking a bath, she was removed from the bathtub.The second is a case of a 71-year-old woman who presented with a history of type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis in both knees. Because the temperature of the bath was approximately 44°C, she tried to cool down the water, but it was difficult for her to move because of knee osteoarthritis. She called out for help from her family living in the neighborhood, but she could not get out. She was sitting for about 2 hours before being noticed by her family. As a result, she suffered second-degree burns on both the buttocks and soles of her feet.Prolonged exposure to thermal liquids and burns such as low-temperature burns are caused by individual factors, such as decreased perception, orthopedic disease, and difficulty in moving due to fainting, and social factors such as delay in discovery in elderly people living alone. These factors lead to an increased depth of the burn.

Highlights

Low-temperature burns are caused by prolonged contact with low-temperature heat sources that do not cause injury with short-duration exposure
We report two cases of water bath burns experienced by elderly people
It is expected that the environment will be prone to the development of coma blisters. Due to such a complex factor, there is a concern that elderly people may sustain low-temperature burns when taking a bath in a liquid at a comfortable temperature

Summary

Introduction

Low-temperature burns are caused by prolonged contact with low-temperature heat sources that do not cause injury with short-duration exposure. She was exposed to hot fluid on the right foot and suffered deep dermal burns (Figure 1A, 1B). On the 12th day after the injury, debridement and split-thickness skin grafting were performed under general anesthesia. Except for both heels, epithelialization had already occurred at the time of surgery. Skin grafts were subsequently taken from the left thigh at 12/1000 inches, processed into a triple mesh, and splitthickness skin grafting was performed on both buttocks and both heels She was transferred to the primary care hospital on the 20th-day post-injury. Skin grafts were taken from the left thigh at 12/1000 inches, processed into a triple mesh, and split-thickness skin grafting was performed on both buttocks and both heels

Discussion

Conclusions

Disclosures

Findings

Moritz AR: Studies of thermal injury

Gill P