Management of Outpatient Pediatric Burns at a Pediatric Burn Center

Burn injuries are a serious emergency. Most burn injuries in children can be treated as outpatients. The aim of this study was to present the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of pediatric burn injuries treated in our outpatient burn clinic. This study included pediatric patients treated in an outpatient burn clinic over an 8-year period. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to their age groups, and the differences between the groups were investigated. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 25.0. P < .05 was accepted as statistically significant. Of the total 5167 patients, 2811 (54.4%) were male. Scald burns were the most common cause of burns (81.4%). Contact burns accounted for 12.2% of all burns. There were no differences between sexes for any variable. The highest incidence was seen in children in the 2- to 5-year-old age group (28.3%). There were differences between age groups in terms of sex, burn area, burn visit, burn type, burn location, need for wound dressing under anesthesia, and need for grafting. Among the patients, 4.9% were hospitalized due to the need for wound dressing under anesthesia. However, most of the patients (95.1%) were treated as outpatients. In conclusion, the majority of pediatric burn patients can be treated as outpatients. This allows pediatric patients to complete treatment in a psychologically comfortable environment and has low complication rates. Outpatient treatment should become the standard for children who are suitable for outpatient follow-up and who have home support.