A clinical review of pediatric burn patients in recent 10 years

Kim, Jin Ee; Park, Heung Sik; Yoon, Chin Ho; Kim, Han Joong

Abstract

During the period of 10 years from January, 1987 to December, 1996, 553 burn patients were admitted and treated at Ewha Womans University Hospital. Among them, 172 patients were under the age of fifteen. We reviewed the charts and analyzed the data retrospectively. The results revealed as follows; 1. Children under 15 years old were 31.1% of all admitted burn patients and males were frequently affected 1.46 times more than females. 2. The most prevalent age group was under 1 years old as 25.6%. 3. The most common cause of burn was scalds (84.3%), followed by flame (7.6%), contact (5.8%) and electricity (2.3%). 4. Burn accidents were frequently occurred in spring, especially March (11.6%). 5. Time interval from burn accident to arrival at hospital was 5.1 hours in direct visitors and 20.5 hours in referred patients. 6. Burn involved multiple sites of the body in 64.5% of cases. 7. In 60.2% of patients the extent of burn was under 9% of body surface. 8. Mean hospital day was 16.9 days and 17.4% of the patients were discharged against on 5.7 days. 9. The complications were developed in 38.7% of the patients. They were wound infection(61.8%), sepsis (20.0%), pulmonary complication (10.9%), urologic infection (3.6%), gastrointestinal bleeding(1.8%) and burn shock (1.8%). 10. Wound culture was positive in 66.7% of suspicious cases. The organisms cultured were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (58.9%), Staphylococcus species (26.5%), E. coli (11.8%) and Enterobacter species (2.9%). 11. Overall mortality rate was 5.6% and mean survival day was 14.7 days. The cause of death was sepsis in 50% of cases.