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Traumatic Brain Injury in Child Burn
Behnam Sobouti1, Iman Ansari1, Soheila Naderi Garahgheshlagh1
1Burn Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Iran.
Insights
Children with severe burns and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) face higher mortality risks. Early detection of TBI in pediatric burn patients is crucial for improving outcomes and reducing fatalities.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care
- Trauma surgery
- Burn management
Background:
- Burns represent a significant public health concern.
- Concurrent Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) exacerbates burn-related morbidity and mortality.
- Effective management requires early detection of associated injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the outcomes of pediatric burn patients with and without TBI.
- To identify factors influencing mortality in children with burn injuries.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 392 pediatric burn patients.
- Data collected included demographics, burn severity (Total Body Surface Area - TBSA), and TBI indicators (head trauma, fractures).
- Patients were analyzed based on mortality (death) versus survival (discharge).
Main Results:
- Burn severity (TBSA) and the presence of TBI were significantly higher in the deceased group (P=0.001).
- No significant differences were observed in age, gender, hospital stay, inhalation injury, or skull fracture between groups.
- Higher TBSA and TBI frequency correlated with increased mortality.
Conclusions:
- Increased burn severity (TBSA) and co-occurring TBI are linked to higher mortality in pediatric burn patients.
- Clinical examination and imaging are recommended for TBI screening in children with burn injuries.
- Early TBI assessment can potentially reduce complications and improve survival rates.
Background:
Burns are one of the most important health problems in communities. Traumatic injuries, especially Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) associated with burns, may increase disability and mortality. In addition to preventing burns, any action for a better treatment approach and early detection of concomitant traumatic injuries can reduce complications, disability, and treatment costs. We aimed to investigate the outcome of children with burn injury with and without TBI.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, 392 children with burn injuries treated at Motahari Hospital in Tehran, Iran from 2018-2019 were enrolled. Patient demographics, burn injury information and TBI-related information including head trauma and fracture were recorded in a checklist. Patients were divided into two groups of death (24 people) or discharge (368 people) in terms of outcome and the underlying variables were compared in the two groups.
Results:
There was no significant difference between the mean age of patients and gender in the two groups. The difference in the length of hospital stay, inhalation injury and skull fracture in the two groups was not statistically significant. The mean burn severity based on Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) and the frequency of TBI in the deceased group was significantly higher (P=0.001).
Conclusion:
The severity of burns based on TBSA and TBI is associated with increased mortality among children with burn injuries. The results suggest the need to examine children with burn injuries for TBI using clinical examination or imaging.
