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The pattern of burn injuries in childhood
1Southland Hospital, Invercargill.
Insights
Pediatric burns are a significant concern, particularly in preschoolers. Hot tap water scalds cause severe, preventable injuries in children, necessitating targeted prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Burn Injury Prevention
- Public Health
Background:
- Burns represent a considerable cause of morbidity in children presenting to emergency departments.
- Preschool-aged children are a particularly vulnerable demographic for burn injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the epidemiology of pediatric burns treated at a provincial hospital.
- To identify common causes and injury patterns of burns in children.
- To assess the role of hot tap water in severe pediatric burn injuries.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 372 pediatric patients (<15 years) treated for burns over a 3-year period.
- Data collection included patient demographics, burn etiology, affected body areas, and admission rates.
- Analysis focused on identifying trends in burn causes, particularly hot liquids and hot tap water.
Main Results:
- The majority of patients (66%) were preschoolers; 58% were male.
- Limb burns were most common (80%), with hot liquids accounting for 37% of injuries.
- Hot tap water caused 6.2% of all burns and 20% of admissions, indicating disproportionately severe injuries.
Conclusions:
- Burns remain a significant health issue for preschool children.
- Hot tap water scalds result in severe and largely preventable pediatric burn injuries.
- Further research into the specific mechanisms and prevention of hot tap water burns is warranted.
Abstract:
This was a retrospective study of all children aged less than 15 years who attended the accident and emergency department of a provincial hospital on account of burns over a 3 year period. There were a total of 372 patients of whom 58% were male and 66% were preschoolers. There was no seasonal variation of numbers attending, 85% of patients attended between the hours of 8 am and 8 pm and in 80% of cases burns involved the limbs. Of all burns 37% were due to hot liquids and 6.2% due to hot tap water. A total of 29 (7.8%) attending children were admitted of whom 6 (20% of admissions) were due to hot tap water burns. Sixteen (4.3%) of children received burns as a result of suspected or proven non-accidental injury. My findings suggest that burns continue to cause significant morbidity in preschool children and that hot tap water causes disproportionately severe and largely preventable injuries, the reasons for this are discussed.