Pediatric burns in University Clinical Center of Kosovo from 2005–2010

Abstract

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the incidence and cause of burns in children of our population. MethodsThis was a retrospective study that included 399 patients with burns, younger than 15 years old who were admitted to the Department of Plastic Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2010. The patients were categorized into the following three age groups: infants and toddlers (0–2 years), early childhood (3–6 years), and late childhood (7–15 years). Arithmetic median and standard deviation were calculated from statistical parameters for gender and age; the differences between the three age groups were measured with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. ResultsDuring the study period 2005–2010, in our population, burns in children were predominant in boys with 257 cases or 64.4%, while 142 patients were girls or 35.5% The difference between the three age groups related to the causes of burns was statistically significant: p<0.000 for electrical burns and p<0.002 for burns caused by pyrotechnic devices. ConclusionA high rate of childhood burns in Kosovo induces hospital admissions and prolonged hospital stays.