Analysis of wax burn cases presenting to an Emergency Department in Hong Kong during the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival

Records of patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of the Prince of Wales Hospital with wax burns during Mid-Autumn festival from 1998 to 2001 were retrieved and analyzed. There were 26 patients in total (21 males, 5 females). Annual attendances from 1998 to 2001 were 11, 7, 4 and 4, respectively. Age ranged from 1 to 33 years (median age: 11.5). Most patients were injured by molten wax (n=23, 88.5%), the rest were burnt by flame (n=3, 11.5%). Partial thickness burn (superficial and deep) was the most common (n=23, 88.4%). Superficial burn accounted for the rest (n=3, 11.5%). No patient had full thickness burn. All patients had <5% of body surface area (BSA) burnt, with the majority only involving <1% BSA (n=16, 61.5%). The commonest sites of injury were the lower limbs (n=15, 57.7%), the upper limbs (n=8, 30.8%) and face (n=7, 26.9%). Three patients (11.5%) had multiple sites burnt. Only eight patients (30.8%) required burns surgeon’s consultation, out of which seven (26.9%) required in-patient treatment. Most burns caused by or related to boiling wax were minor. The declining incidence is the combined result of legislation, product modification, education and publicity.