Management of Pediatric Burns

Abstract

It is estimated that in the United States there are 2.0 million burn injuries every year. There are 30,000 inpatient admissions and between 1,000 and 5,000 deaths per year related to burns in children. Along with the elderly, children suffer the highest rates of morbidity and mortality from thermal injuries. Achieving good clinical outcomes requires early, accurate diagnosis and aggressive treatment. Once acute burn injuries have evolved into fixed deformities they can be next to impossible to treat, leading to life-long limitations in form and function. Rehabilitation is a critical factor in achieving an acceptable functional and cosmetic outcome for both adult and pediatric burn patients. Without a rigorous and well-orchestrated rehabilitation program, the treatment of a burn is not complete. The management of burn injuries also frequently involves reconstructive surgical intervention. Acute or sub-acute reconstruction is aimed at restoring lost anatomic structures such as the eyelids and nose. In general, scars lead to surgical evaluation because of either functional loss or cosmesis. This paper discusses our experience and procedures for managing burns in the paediatric population. As a general rule, if wounds have failed to heal within 5 to 7 days, the patient should be referred to a surgeon familiar with paediatric burn injuries.