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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Audit of thermally injured children under 5 years of age
G C Moir1, V Shakespeare, P G Shakespeare
1Wessex Centre for Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery, Odstock Hospital, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK.
Insights
Pediatric scalds are common in burns units, with most injuries being minor. Early detection of complications like fever and lymphocytopenia is crucial for managing pediatric burn patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Burn Care
- Trauma Surgery
- Clinical Auditing
Background:
- Children under 5 represent one-third of admissions to the Wessex Regional Burns Unit (WRBU).
- These pediatric patients require a significant amount of nursing and medical resources.
- Burns in young children present unique challenges in management and long-term outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review pediatric burn admissions over a 5-year period at the WRBU.
- To analyze injury patterns, treatment modalities, and outcomes in children.
- To identify early indicators of complications in pediatric burn patients.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of pediatric burn admissions was conducted.
- Data were collected and stored in a dBASE-IV computer database for analysis and audit.
- Clinical and physiological observations were correlated with patient morbidity.
Main Results:
- Scalds accounted for 81% of pediatric burn injuries.
- The average burn surface area (BSA) was 8%, with 78% of injuries <10% BSA.
- Skin grafting was needed in 44% of patients, with 60% developing hypertrophic scarring.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric burn injuries, predominantly scalds, often result in significant scarring and require surgical intervention.
- Early identification of clinical signs such as behavioral changes, shock, lymphocytopenia, and high fever (>39.5°C) is vital.
- These signs may indicate the early development of complications in pediatric burn patients, necessitating prompt medical attention.
Abstract:
One-third of all admissions to the Wessex Regional Burns Unit (WRBU) are children under 5 years of age. These patients constitute a disproportionately large part of the workload in terms of nursing and medical care. A review of children admitted to the WRBU over a 5-year period was undertaken. Information was stored in a computer database (dBASE-IV) to simplify data analysis and to develop a system of data collection which can be used for audit. Eighty-one per cent of injuries were due to scalds. The mean burn surface area (BSA) was 8 per cent, and 78 per cent of injuries were smaller than 10 per cent BSA. Skin grafting was required in 44 per cent of patients. The mean time to operation was 13 days after injury. Significant hypertrophic scarring occurred in 60 per cent of patients and 12 per cent of patients were readmitted for further surgical procedures. There was one death. In an extension to the main database, associations between clinical and physiological observations and morbidity were sought. The data suggest that behavioural changes, 'shock', profound lymphocytopenia and pyrexia greater than 39.5 degrees C should be treated as strongly suggestive of the development of complications in the early stages after injury.
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