Preventable wheelchair-related thermal injury.
OBJECTIVE
Wheelchair-related injuries are common, and with proper reporting of injuries, advanced technologic support may offer new ways to prevent those injuries.


METHODS
Case REPORT AND FINDINGS: A man with tetraplegia who retains only minimal use of his right hand experienced a right-sided armrest malfunction of his wheelchair resulting in his wheelchair controls being out of reach. This left him stranded in the sun for almost 2 hours in 86 degrees F weather. During that time, he developed full thickness sunburns of his left forearm and deep partial thickness burns of the left fingertips where they were in contact with the left armrest.


CONCLUSIONS
This patient's full thickness burns could have been prevented if his motorized wheelchair had back-up communication in the event of a malfunction. Technology developers must realize the need for such systems. Health care professionals must advocate for a higher standard of safety and report injuries related to wheelchair malfunction.
Bull
William
W
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA. jb@dupageplastics.com
Priebe
Michael
M
Dillig
Gina
G
Dado
Diane
D
D000328:Adult; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D003646:Debridement; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005543:Forearm Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013471:Sunburn / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000601:surgery; D014910:Wheelchairs / Q000009:adverse effects*