1. Hair straightener burns in children: An experimental study originating from 2 cases.
- Author
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Amadasi A, Schwarz F, Berti L, and Oesterhelweg L
- Subjects
- Animals, Child, Humans, Foot Injuries pathology, Leg Injuries pathology, Models, Animal, Swine, Burns pathology, Child Abuse diagnosis
- Abstract
Burns in children are a topic of fundamental importance in the context of the differential diagnosis between accidental events and abuse. In this context, the present study arose from two cases of children with second-degree burns (in case 1 on the leg, in case 2 on the foot) caused by contact with the hot surfaces of a hair straightener, which were reported as accidental events but trough the complete medico-legal investigation later turned out to be abusive burns. With an experimental set on pig skin and by simulating the two anatomical districts (leg and foot), using the same type of hair straightener, injuries were caused by simulating different positions and possible variants of accidental and non-accidental occurrence. The morphology of the injuries confirmed the assessment of child abuse in both cases by "pressing" between the two hot plates of the hair straightener, with almost mirror-like injuries on the inner and outer sides of the skin. Cases of child abuse contact burns with hair straighteners have never been described in the forensic literature, but their widespread diffusion makes knowledge of the characteristics of possible injuries important., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) more...
- Published
- 2024
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