Household oven doors - A burn hazard in children

Contact with hot oven doors is an important cause of burns in pediatric patients. These burns are of particular concern because of their frequent localization to the hands, with the resulting negative implications for financial cost, long-term cosmesis, and hand function. A 5-year review of pediatric oven door burn cases admitted to a burn referral center was conducted. Of the 14 cases identified, the median age was 12 months. The median total body surface area (TBSA) was 1.75% (range, 0.5%3.5%). Twelve of 14 cases involved 1 or both hands. The median length of hospital stay was 10 days. In 7 cases, burns were sustained from contact to an external surface of the oven. Based on the results obtained, we propose several prevention strategies.