Convective burn from use of hairdryer for heel warming prior to the heel prick test - a case report

BACKGROUND: Blood sampling through heel lancing is the most common invasive painful procedure performed on newborn infants. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a five day old infant who sustained burns to the left foot and leg after the mother's hairdryer was used by the midwife to warm the baby's heel prior to capillary blood sampling (CBS) with an automated device. CONCLUSION: Heel warming is not recommended for routine CBS although it is often practiced. If pre-warming is to be practiced, standardised devices should be used rather than improvised techniques. This will reduce the risk of injury to these infants.