Hot water bottle leaves man with horror burns

A 20-year-old Melbourne man suffered second- and third-degree burns after his hot water bottle split. Photo / Supplied

A young Australian man has been hospitalised with horrific burns after his hot water bottle split in his lap.

The 20-year-old from Melbourne had just fired up his Xbox for a night of gaming and had placed the hot water bottle across his lap to keep himself warm.

His mum, Marie Macheras, said it was something her son had done most winter nights of his life.

But on this occasion the hot water bottle split, pouring boiling hot water across his lap, stomach and abdomen.

Macheras said she had just settled into bed when she heard her son's screams.

"When I got to him, he was throwing his clothes off, screaming that he was on fire," she said.

"He jumped into a cold shower immediately and I called an ambulance, but he just kept yelling that he was on fire.

"The pain was so bad that he just couldn't take the burn away from the cold water."

Her son was taken to The Alfred hospital with second- and third-degree burns across his abdomen, chest and hands, and underwent painful surgery for a skin graft earlier this week.

Alfred Health burns surgeon Dane Holden said it was a horror situation that played out each year.

"Every winter we get a spike in hot water bottle burns, which is a trend we really want to see reversed because they're entirely preventable," he said.

"A few safety precautions, such as never filling your hot water bottle with boiling water, hanging it up to dry before reusing it and replacing it every 12 months will go a long way to avoiding putting yourself in danger."