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Scalds are a Burning Issue at the Grossman Burn Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center
National Burn Awareness Week is Feb. 5 - 11
PHOENIX – Feb. 2, 2012 – The first full week in February is National Burn Awareness Week and is designed to share a common theme about burn awareness and prevention, according to the American Burn Association. This year’s theme is scald burns.
During Burn Awareness Week, the Grossman Burn Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center is providing hot liquid-related burn information and prevention to the community.
“At the Grossman Burn Centers, we are not only dedicated to the care and healing of those individuals with burn injuries, but to also providing the community with the information they need to live a safer lifestyle and to, ultimately, prevent any burn-related injuries,” explains Peter Grossman, M.D., FACS, medical director, the Grossman Burn Centers.
Scald burns, or hot liquid burns, are the No. 1 cause of burns seen at the Grossman Burn Center at St Luke’s Medical Center. Tap water above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, hot beverages, microwavable soups and grease can cause serious third degree burns in less than one second. People most at risk for scald burns are infants, young children, older adults and people with disabilities.
The Grossman Burn Centers recommend the following tips to help prevent scalds from hot foods and beverages:
- Supervise young children in the kitchen, cook on back burners and keep pot handles turned away from the stove edge.
- During mealtime, place hot items in the center of the table.
- Consider using mugs with tight-fitting lids, like those used for travel, for hot coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
- Set your home water heater thermostats to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
- Use non-slip placemats instead of tablecloths. Tablecloths can be pulled by toddlers or become tangled in crutches, walkers or wheelchairs, causing hot liquids to spill.
If you or your family member is burned:
- Cool the burn with water. DO NOT apply ice, ointments, butter or greasy substances.
- Cover the burn with a clean dry cloth or gauze to protect area and leave blisters intact.
- Contact a health care professional.
For more burn prevention tips throughout the week, follow St. Luke’s Medical Center on Facebook and Twitter.
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About St. Luke’s Medical Center www.stlukesmedcenter.com
Serving Metropolitan Phoenix for more than 100 years, St. Luke’s Medical Center is a 226-bed tertiary care hospital offering a full range of medical services, including emergency care, orthopedics, cardiac care, bariatrics, physical rehabilitation, pain management, wound care and burn care. St. Luke’s has a long history of innovation as the first hospital in Arizona to open a cardiac catheterization lab, and the first in the Valley to perform open heart surgery. St. Luke’s is also an accredited Chest Pain Center and recognized as a Cardiac Receiving Center. With a focus on serving the diverse health care needs of the community, experienced professionals provide high quality care with the latest technology, in a caring environment. For more information, visit www.stlukesmedcenter.com or call 1-877-351-WELL (9355).
Please join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StLukesMedicalCenter or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/StLukesMedical
About the Grossman Burn Center www.grossmanburncenter.com
Founded in 1969 by Dr. A. Richard Grossman, the Grossman Burn Center is the largest plastic surgery-based burn practice in the western United States. Headquartered in West Hills, Calif, with facilities in Santa Ana, Calif., Bakersfield, Calif. and Lafayette, La., the Grossman Burn Center is in the midst of a national expansion and has plans to open additional burn centers throughout the country. The Grossman Burn Center is renowned for its expertise in providing acute and reconstructive burn care, rehabilitation, and post-treatment emotional and psychological support. It has received global recognition for its treatment of some of the most difficult and high profile burn cases in the world. For more information, visit www.grossmanburncenter.com or call 1-877-711-BURN (2875)
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