Kitchen-related burns accounted for more than one-third of burns at an outpatient burn clinic, according to a study published in Burns. Sahil Chawla and Anthony Papp, MD, PhD, FRCSC, assessed adult kitchen-related burns treated in an outpatient setting and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the frequency and epidemiology of these burns. Data from adult patients (N=1,380) who suffered burn injuries resulting in a visit to a burn clinic were analyzed, with specific attention paid to burn etiology, demographics, severity and anatomical location, and the need for surgery. Separately, the researchers compared patients before and after the onset of the pandemic. Of these, 38% sustained a kitchen-related burn. The frequency of kitchen-related burns did not change during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were considerable differences in ethnic distribution, with East Asian patients experiencing a significant increase in kitchen-related burns.
