Chu Mr Howard, Yarlagadda Laveena, Wearn Mr Christopher
Department of Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford), Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Barrack Road, Exeter, Devon EX2 5DW, UK.
Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, 5 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1UD, UK.
Burns. 2024 Dec;50(9):107275. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2024.09.014. Epub 2024 Sep 24.
There are an estimated 10 million hot water bottles (HWB) currently in use within the United Kingdom (UK), and HWB related burn injuries represent a significant resource burden to UK Burns Services. These injuries can be caused through a variety of mechanisms including scalds sustained when filling the bottle or scalds from leaking or rupture. The fuel poverty crisis started in February 2022 leading to an estimated six-fold increase in alternative sources of heating, in particular hot water bottles. In this study, we wish to understand the impact that this may have had upon burn injuries sustained by these products.
All hot water bottle (HWB)-related injuries sustained January 2014 - February 2023 were retrieved from the UK International Burn Injury Database (IBID). Data were collected on patient demographics, injury mechanism, anatomical location, and clinical outcomes. The data were collated and analysed; statistical analysis was performed using R StudioTM. Patient levelling costs were also incorporated to enable translation of these data into healthcare costs.
A total of 5944 HWB-related burn injuries were recorded in the IBID database in England and Wales, from 2014 to 2023, with a mean of 594 (SD 146.2) burn injuries annually, costing an estimated £ 12.7 million. There were 423 burn injuries sustained from HWB in winter 2022 compared to 295 in winter 2021, representing a 43.4 % increase over one year, with a corresponding increase of 43.1 % in the number of patients managed in an outpatient setting. The largest increase in burn incidence between winter 2021 and winter 2022 was seen in children (0-16 years old) and older adults (greater than 65 years old) with a rise of 60.3 % (n = 41) and 68.5 % (n = 37) respectively.
Our epidemiological study on hot water bottle (HWB)-related burn injuries within the United Kingdom has shown that the dramatic rise in fuel prices, which sparked the fuel poverty crises, has coincided with a 43.4 % increase in HWB burns incidence on the health service in that year alone. This alarming rise in HWB-related injuries highlights the continued need for targeted public awareness campaigns to ensure a safe and proper use of these devices.
据估计，英国目前有1000万个热水袋在使用，与热水袋相关的烧伤对英国烧伤服务机构造成了巨大的资源负担。这些伤害可能通过多种机制造成，包括灌装热水袋时被烫伤，或因漏水或破裂而被烫伤。2022年2月开始的燃料贫困危机导致替代取暖源的使用量估计增加了六倍，特别是热水袋。在本研究中，我们希望了解这可能对这些产品造成的烧伤产生的影响。
从英国国际烧伤损伤数据库（IBID）中检索2014年1月至2023年2月期间所有与热水袋（HWB）相关的损伤。收集了患者的人口统计学数据、损伤机制、解剖位置和临床结果。对数据进行整理和分析；使用R StudioTM进行统计分析。还纳入了患者分级成本，以便将这些数据转化为医疗成本。
2014年至2023年期间，英格兰和威尔士的IBID数据库中总共记录了5944例与热水袋相关的烧伤，平均每年有594例（标准差146.2）烧伤，估计花费1270万英镑。2022年冬季有423例因热水袋导致的烧伤，而2021年冬季为295例，一年间增加了43.4%，门诊治疗的患者数量相应增加了43.1%。2021年冬季至2022年冬季烧伤发生率增幅最大的是儿童（0至16岁）和老年人（65岁以上），分别上升了60.3%（n = 41）和68.5%（n = 37）。
我们对英国与热水袋（HWB）相关烧伤的流行病学研究表明，引发燃料贫困危机的燃料价格大幅上涨，仅在当年就使医疗服务中与热水袋相关的烧伤发生率增加了43.4%。与热水袋相关伤害的这种惊人增长凸显了持续开展有针对性的公众宣传活动的必要性，以确保安全、正确地使用这些设备。
