WARNING: Readers may find some images of burn injuries in this article confronting.
A Melbourne woman has sustained horror injuries after her hot water bottle burst while laying in bed.
Stephanie Campbell only had the hot water bottle on for 10 minutes to help relieve stomach pain before it burst.
“There was pure boiling water on my stomach,” she told 9News.
The 27-year-old was rushed to hospital with serious burns to her body.
She spent 10 days at The Alfred hospital after undergoing surgery for a skin graft, with specialist doctors using donor skin from her back to cover the wounds.
“I think the whole situation is pretty traumatic, both mentally and physically,” Campbell said.
“It’s quite hard looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing the scars on your body from what’s happened just from a hot water bottle.”
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Doctors at The Alfred have told 9News they have recently seen a significant number of people admitted to hospital with severe injuries after using hot water bottles.
“Hot water bottles come with a long list of warnings including,” Dr Dane Holden said.
Consumers are urged to replace them every 12 months and told not to fill them with boiling water.
Hot tap water should be used to fill a hot water bottle and it should not be filled more than two-thirds.
A fitted cover is also encouraged.
The bottle can also be wrapped to avoid direct contact with skin.
The advice also states a hot water bottle should never be on the body for more than 20 minutes.
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