Pediatric Burns- Our Experience: A Single Centre Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: Pediatric burns accounts to a significant percentage of morbidity and mortality among all the burns. This is in fact holds stronger when it comes to low-moderate income countries owing to the patient’s ability to spend and lack of infrastructure.
Materials & Methods: This is a single centre observational study including all the pediatric burns cases admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, India. A total of 35 children less than 12 years of age admitted between June 2023-May 2024 over a period of 12 months were included in the study.
Results: Scald burns (71.4%) were the most common type, followed by flame burns (22.85%), with children aged 1–5 years being the most affected (74.3%). Extensive burns (>10% TBSA) were observed in 55.3% of cases. Skin grafting was required in five children, significantly prolonging hospital stay (30.6 ± 7.63 days vs. 6.2 ± 3.07 days for those not requiring grafting). This article highlights the treatment protocol followed at our hospital, addressing challenges from parental counseling on the necessity of admission and burn care to post-hospital management.
Conclusion: This study highlights the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach involving plastic surgeons, pediatricians, intensivists, psychologists, and nutritionists for optimal pediatric burn management. Preventive strategies and timely interventions are essential in reducing burn-related morbidity and improving outcomes. Public education on burn prevention and management can facilitate better parental awareness, easing the counseling process and ensuring smoother implementation of treatment plans.