1 Departments of Dermatology and Stomatology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0316
2 Departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0316
3 Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0374
Accidental burns are common, causing signficant morbidity and mortality in all age groups, but they occur most frequently in young children. Each year, tap water burns result in approximately 2600 visits to emergency rooms in the United States1 and cause approximately 200 deaths,2 but these burns are rare in the hospital setting. We describe a case of scald injury in a newborn during routine postnatal bathing that occurred shortly after an increase in the temperature of the hospital water supply due to a Legionella outbreak and discuss precautions that should be used by hospitals to avoid scald injuries.
CASE REPORT
Submitted on August 29, 1995