Paediatric Burns: a Thirteen-year Single-centre Retrospective Study in Croatia

Abstract

Objective – Burn injuries (BI) are a great threat to children and are a significant therapeutic challenge. They demand prompt attention to avoid infection and scarring. The main goal of this paper is to analyse the demographic and clinical characteristics of BI in children treated in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), University Hospital of Split (UHS).

Patients and Methods – The data of patients with BI admitted to the PICU from 2010 through 2022 were collected retrospectively from medical docu- mentation. The subjects were analysed and stratified into groups according to age, sex, cause of burn, percentage of affected total body surface area (TBSA) and length of stay (LOS) in the PICU.

Results – A total of 20 children were treated. Of these, 14 were boys and 6 were girls. The most common cause of burns in children was skin contact with hot liquids (60%). Burns affecting 10 to <20% of TBSA were found in 60% children. Children with TBSA <15% were significantly older than those with TBSA ≥15% (6.9±6.3 years vs. 1.9±1.9 years; P=0.022). The mean LOS in the PICU was 3.7 days. Most children had burns on their chest, legs and arms.

Conclusion – There were no deaths or serious associated injuries, but burns caused significant morbidity, and disrupted the children’s physical and emotional stability. As BI are preventable, awareness should be raised and burn prevention programmes should be encouraged, especially those intended for toddlers.