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Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Author Spotlight: A Multi-Depth Porcine Model for Comprehensive Study of Burn Injuries and Healing Processes
Published on: February 23, 2024
A prospective observational study investigating all children presenting to a specialty paediatric burns centre
K A Stockton1, J Harvey2, R M Kimble3
1Centre for Children's Burns and Trauma Research, Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Queensland, Australia.
Insights
Paediatric burns are common childhood injuries. Most children with burns are treated as outpatients, but understanding all injury mechanisms is crucial for prevention.
Area of Science:
- Paediatric burns research
- Injury prevention
- Public health
Background:
- Paediatric burns represent a significant public health concern.
- Understanding injury mechanisms is vital for effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the mechanisms of injury and outcomes for all children presenting with burns to the Stuart Pegg Paediatric Burns Centre (SPPBC) in 2013.
- To analyze differences in injury mechanisms between inpatient and outpatient paediatric burn cases.
Main Methods:
- Prospective data collection using a detailed proforma at patient presentation.
- Analysis of 758 paediatric burn cases over a one-year period.
- Statistical comparison of injury mechanisms (scald, contact, flame) between inpatient and outpatient groups.
Main Results:
- Over half of admitted children experienced scald injuries (53.1%).
- Contact burns were more common in outpatients (44.5%) than inpatients (27.1%).
- Flame burns were significantly more prevalent in inpatients (11.5%) compared to outpatients (2.9%).
Conclusions:
- The majority of paediatric burn injuries are small to medium-sized and managed as outpatients.
- Significant differences exist in the mechanisms of injury between inpatient and outpatient paediatric burns.
- Comprehensive data, including outpatient details, is essential for targeted injury prevention campaigns.
Aim And Method:
The aim of this study was to describe the mechanism of injury and outcome of all children who presented to The Stuart Pegg Paediatric Burns Centre (SPPBC) with a burn injury in the year 2013. A detailed proforma was completed prospectively at time of presentation to hospital.
Results:
During the one year period, 758 children with a median age of 2 years 3 months presented with a burn injury. Overall, 12.7% of patients (n=96) were initially treated as inpatients. Similarities existed between in and outpatients. Over half the children admitted had a scald injury (53.1%). Whilst slightly higher than the outpatient scald rate of 43.1% there was no statistical significant difference. However, there was a significant difference between inpatients and outpatients with respect to other mechanisms of injury. Contact burns were under represented in inpatients (27.1%) compared to outpatients (44.5%), p<0.05. In contrast, flame burns were over represented in inpatients, 11.5% compared to outpatients, 2.9% (p<0.05).
Conclusion:
Paediatric burns are a common cause of childhood injury. The majority of children present with small to medium sized partial thickness injuries and are managed as outpatients. In order to understand the true impact of paediatric burn injury and to develop appropriate targeted injury prevention campaigns, data repositories must include detailed information regarding outpatient paediatric burns.
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