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Hot beverage burns: an 11-year experience of the Yorkshire Regional Burns Centre
Christopher L Hankins1, Xiao Qing Tang, Alan Phipps
1Department of Plastic Surgery, Pinderfields General Hospital, Aberford Road, Wakefield WF1 4DG, UK. chrishankins501@hotmail.com
Insights
Hot beverage burns disproportionately affect young children, necessitating ongoing public awareness campaigns. While treatment changes improved outcomes for some, these injuries remain a significant public health concern.
Area of Science:
- Burn research
- Public health
Background:
- Hot beverage burns are a significant cause of injury across all age groups.
- Children under 3 years old are most affected, particularly those aged 1-2 years.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze changes in hot beverage burn treatment and outcomes.
- To evaluate the impact of evolving referral patterns on patient management.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study at a regional burns centre (1994-2004).
- Analysis of patient demographics, injury characteristics, and treatment interventions.
Main Results:
- Referral pattern changes led to smaller mean burn size but increased admissions and delayed treatment.
- Introduction of Biobrane in 2002 reduced hospital stays for superficial partial thickness burns.
- Inaccurate total body surface area estimations from referring facilities were common.
Conclusions:
- Hot beverage burns persist as a major public health issue.
- Continued public awareness and improved referral accuracy are crucial.
- Biobrane shows promise in managing specific burn types.
Abstract:
A retrospective study was performed at the Yorkshire Regional Burns Centre from 1994 to 2004 inclusive to determine the changes in treatment and clinical outcomes of patients admitted with hot beverage burns and the effect of changes in referral patterns over this period. Although children under the age of 3 years accounted for 77.5% of all cases of hot beverage scalds, this injury was represented in all age groups. Children from 1 to 2 years of age had the highest incidence of this injury. Changes in referral patterns over this period resulted in a decrease in the mean total body surface area of injury, an increase in the number of admissions and an increase in the time interval from injury to admission to the Burns Centre for this period. The total body surface area given by referring facilities was often times inaccurate, as reported previously by this Burns Centre. The introduction of Biobrane in 2002 was effective in reducing the length of hospitalisation for patients with superficial partial thickness burns. Hot beverage burns remain a significant public health problem deserving of continuing efforts to maintain public awareness.
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