Burns caused by plaster of Paris splints

摘要

When I first encountered such a bum to a forearm many years ago, no one was sure whether it was heat or chemical cause (in retrospect it was clearly a thermal burn).The letter in ANZ Journal of Surgery explains the relevance of the temperature of the dipping water, the thickness of and inadequate wetting of the plaster of Paris, cooling by ventilation, poor vascular supply and decreased thermal regulatory action due to local anaesthesia. Use of an ice pack is suggested and it is pointed out that patients' complaints of pain must not be ignored.