Question

When a toddler was lowered into the bathtub, he began screaming. The parents did not test the bath water. The parents call EMS, and when you arrive the child has stocking burns on the legs just below the knees and red spots (splashing) on the thighs. There is severe redness and blisters are beginning to form. This type of burn can be classified as:

-child abuse
-partial thickness only
-second and third degree
-superficial and partial thickness

Answer 1

The child's burns, characterized by blisters and severe redness, can be classified as partial thickness and superficial burns, potentially indicating child abuse due to the pattern and distribution of injuries.

Step-by-step explanation:

The clinical description of the toddler's injury indicates the presence of severe redness and blisters, which suggests that the child has sustained partial thickness burns, also known as second-degree burns. These burns affect both the epidermis and a portion of the dermis, characterized by swelling and painful blistering.

Additionally, the red spots could be indicative of superficial burns caused by splash or spill, which only affect the epidermis. The stocking pattern of the burns, usually uniform in immersion cases, may raise concerns of child abuse, as unintentional scald burns often have a splash or spill pattern.