Global Hospital Infrastructure and Pediatric Burns

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Pediatric Surgery
• Health Equity

Background:

• Low-income regions face disproportionately high pediatric burn mortality.
• Global efforts are shifting towards sustainable infrastructure development for burn care.
• Existing research lacks quantitative analysis of burn care infrastructure disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate disparities in pediatric burn care infrastructure globally.
• To determine the impact of infrastructure on pediatric burn mortality outcomes.
• To identify key factors for improving pediatric burn care in resource-limited settings.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 8537 burn cases (3492 pediatric) from the Global Burn Registry (Jan 2018-Aug 2021).
• Statistical analysis using chi-square and multinomial regression to compare mortality rates.
• Multinomial logistic regression controlling for Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) to identify mortality predictors.

Main Results:

• Lower mortality rates observed in facilities with nutritional supplementation, internet, critical care, operating room access, dedicated burn units, and advanced reconstructive skills.
• Significant disparities in resource availability exist between high- and low-income countries.
• Limited critical care access (OR 15.18) and lack of nutritional support were significant mortality predictors.

Conclusions:

• Global pediatric burn care infrastructure is inequitably distributed, contributing to higher mortality in low-income regions.
• Sophisticated nutritional supplementation is a significant protective factor against pediatric burn mortality.
• Targeted, low-cost interventions in nutrition infrastructure can improve global burn care outcomes.