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Severe Burn Injury in a Swine Model for Clinical Dressing Assessment
Published on: November 6, 2018
Paediatric burns in central Finland between the 1960s and the 1980s
R Zeitlin1, E Somppi, J Järnberg
1Department of Paediatric Surgery, University Hospital of Tampere, Finland.
Insights
Paediatric burn injuries, primarily from hot liquids at home, predominantly affect children under four. Despite changes in kitchen technology, the risk factors for these common childhood injuries remain largely consistent.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Epidemiology
- Burn Injury Prevention
Background:
- This study examines 359 pediatric burn injury cases treated between the 1960s and 1980s.
- Focuses on patient backgrounds, living environments, and injury risk factors.
- Investigates burn injuries treated exclusively at the University Hospital of Tampere, Finland.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the epidemiological profile of pediatric burn injuries over three decades.
- To identify key risk factors and effective prevention strategies for childhood burns.
- To assess the impact of modern technology on burn injury patterns.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 359 pediatric burn cases from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
- Data collection included patient demographics, injury circumstances, and treatment outcomes.
- Analysis focused on injury types, locations, age distribution, and mortality rates.
Main Results:
- Scalds from hot liquids at home and saunas were the most common injury types.
- Over 80% of burn injuries involved hot liquids, with no significant reduction due to modern kitchen technology.
- 80% of injuries occurred in children under 4 years old.
- A slight decrease in hospitalizations and an increase in female patients were observed.
- Mortality rate was very low at 0.28%.
Conclusions:
- Hot liquid scalds remain a primary cause of pediatric burns, particularly in children under four.
- Prevention efforts should continue to focus on home safety and awareness of hot liquid hazards.
- The epidemiological profile of pediatric burns showed less change than anticipated between the 1960s and 1980s.
Abstract:
This study comprised 359 paediatric burn-injury cases. The patients were collected from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, taking 4 years from each decade. These children were treated exclusively in the Paediatric Surgery Department in the University Hospital of Tampere, Finland. We were interested in the backgrounds and living environments of our patients as well as the children themselves. Special attention was paid to risk factors and methods for prevention. Scalds at home and in the sauna rooms constituted the largest groups of injuries. The number of hospitalized patients has slightly decreased during the past three decades, whereas the proportion of girls has increased. The mortality was very low (0.28 per cent), a single case. This study shows that 80 per cent of born injuries in children occurred under the age of 4 years and over 80 per cent of all burn injuries involved hot liquids; modern kitchen technology has not significantly reduced this factor. The epidemiological profile of paediatric burns changed from the 1960s to the 1980s less than expected.
