TY - JOUR JF - MJIRI JO - Med J Islam Repub Iran VL - 35 IS - 1 PY - 2021 Y1 - 2021/1/01 TI - An unprecedented increase in burn injuries due to alcohol-based hand sanitizers during the COVID-19 outbreak TT - N2 - Background: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, protective measures including alcohol-based hand rub, received unexampled popularity in Iran. Alcohol hand rub is effective, inexpensive and simple to use, but it is a flammable liquid, which might cause burn injuries. In this study, we investigated burn injuries due to alcohol hand sanitizers during the COVID-19 disease outbreak in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on burn patients referred to Motahari Burns and Reconstruction Center from February 20th, 2020 (official announcement of the epidemic of COVID-19 in Iran) up to April 19th, 2020. All outpatients and hospitalized burn injuries caused by alcohol during the abovementioned period were included. Results: There were 76 burn injuries due to the use of alcohol hand sanitizer. Sixty patients were treated outpatient, and 16 were hospitalized. The mean ± SD age of patients was 33.2±17.9 years and most were males (57 individuals, 75%). Also, the mean ± SD of TBSA was 6.1±6.5%. In hospitalized ones, the mean ± SD hospital stay was 11.7±8.6 days. The most burnt area was the head (39.5%) followed by the right upper limb (35.5%) and the left upper limb (23.7%). Patients were actively engaged in burn injury in 61.8% of cases, while they were passively burnt in 34.2% of cases and in 3.9% the mechanism was unknown. Burn injuries mostly happened in the yard (22.4%) followed by the rooftop (21.1%) and outdoors (18.4%). Conclusion: Appropriate general education, especially through mass media, can reduce burns caused by alcohol-based sanitation during the COVID-19 outbreak. Most of these burn injuries involved face and hands, which are cosmetically and functionally important. SP - 818 EP - 821 AU - Dahmardehei, Mostafa AU - Khadem Rezaiyan, Majid AU - Safarnejad, Farhang AU - Ahmadabadi, Ali AD - Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran KW - Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer KW - COVID-19 Outbreak KW - Burns UR - http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/article-1-7242-en.html DO - 10.47176/mjiri.35.107 ER -