Children Younger Than 18 Years Treated for Nonfatal Burns in US Emergency Departments

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Public Health Surveillance
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Burns are a significant cause of pediatric injury requiring emergency department (ED) treatment.
• Understanding burn mechanisms and demographics is crucial for effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in pediatric burn injuries treated in US EDs from 1990 to 2014.
• To identify common burn mechanisms and injury locations in children.
• To provide data for enhancing pediatric burn prevention efforts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) for children (<18 years) treated for burns in US EDs.
• Analyzed a 25-year period (1990-2014) to identify trends in incidence, demographics, injury types, and mechanisms.
• This is the first study to use a nationally representative sample to investigate burn mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Over 2.5 million pediatric burn cases were treated, with an average of 101,959 annually.
• A significant decrease in burn incidence (30.0%) and rate (38.9%) was observed during the study period (P < .001).
• Young children (<6 years, 64.0%) and boys (58.4%) were most affected; thermal burns (60.2%) were most common, with hands/fingers (37.1%) and head/neck (19.6%) being primary injury sites. Grabbing/touching (18.4%) and spilling/splashing (16.4%) were leading causes.

Conclusions:

• Despite a downward trend, pediatric burns treated in EDs remain a substantial public health concern.
• The findings underscore the critical need for targeted prevention strategies, especially for children under 6.
• This research provides valuable insights into burn mechanisms, informing future injury prevention initiatives.