Children are at risk of burns if they undergo steam inhalation to relieve the symptoms of respiratory tract infection and congestion, specialists warned today.
A retrospective analysis of patients attending the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastics Surgery in Swansea said that the dangers of the risk have been under-estimated.
Researchers found that 16 children between the ages of one and 15, who were admitted between January 2010 and February 2015, were treated for steam inhalation therapy scalds.
The most common reason for the steam therapy was to relieve symptoms of the common cold – with nine patients citing that as the reason for the treatment.
The average size of the burns was 3.1% but ranged between 0.25% and 17.0%) of the total body area. One child was managed surgically, one needed treatment in a high-dependency unit, while the remainder were treated with dressings.
The total cost of treatment for all patients was £37 133, said Sarah Al Himdani and colleagues.
“Steam inhalation is postulated to provide relief of respiratory congestion by loosening respiratory secretions, but there is a lack of evidence to support the improvement in objective outcome measures such as viral titres in nasal washings,” they write.
They add that there is a lack of awareness among primary care physicians of the potential risks of burns associated with steam inhalation therapy.
In the study, which is published in British Journal of General Practice, 17 out of 21 GPs surveyed recommended steam inhalation to their patients, while eight out of 19 GPs recommended it for children under the age of five.
“Strategies to prevent steam inhalation burns occurring should be implemented by health professionals,” they add. “These include: not recommending the practice to parents; advising parents of the dangers associated with it; and informing parents of the lack of evidence demonstrating that it has any beneficial effects for patients.”
Al Himdani S, Umair Javed M et al. Home remedy or hazard? Management and costs of paediatric steam inhalation therapy burn injuries. Br J Gen Pract March 2016; DOI: 10.3399/bjgp16X684289 [abstract]
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