2009 Poiner_letters_MJA 191_9_2009_ 21109_fm-2 - Copy.pdf (original) (raw)

Management of Electrical and Chemical Burns in Children

Journal of Surgical Research, 2014

Electrical burn a b s t r a c t Background: Pediatric electrical and chemical burns are rare injuries, and the care of these patients varies significantly. We reviewed our experience in management of electrical and chemical burns to analyze the clinical course, management, and outcomes.

Burns in Children - Difficult Medical, Social, and Environmental Problems

Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 2012

Year by year in Poland there are more cases of accidents, injuries, and burns that affect children. In that age group, burns are the main cause of death. From the research conducted so far, one can gather that various forms of electromagnetic fields reveal substantial therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of diseases of soft tissues and skin. Our paper presents therapeutic possibilities provided by magnetledtherapy in the treatment of consequences of burns, namely: secondary keloid of the crotch and anus areas, with insufficiency of the rectal sphincter in an 11-year-old patient, and a hypertrophied scar of the thigh in a 6-year-old patient, after ineffective topical conservative therapy. The procedures performed demonstrated substantial therapeutic efficacy in both cases presented, which – taking into account the absence of major side effects, good tolerance for procedures, and beneficial cosmetic effects, in such young patients – points to the new possibilities available in the tr...

Burn injuries caused by a hair-dryer — an unusual case of child abuse

Forensic Science International, 2001

About 1.4±26% burn injuries in children appear to be abusive in origin. A 2.5-year-old girl was referred to our institute because of suspected child abuse. Clinical examination and later interrogation of the mother revealed non-recent deep second degree burn injuries on both gluteal regions, caused by the partner of the mother by pressing a hand-held hair-dryer against the skin. The authors present the ®ndings of this unusual method of child abuse.

Non-accidental burns in children

Burns, 1998

A retrospective review of five hundred and seven consecutive admissions to a state-wide paediatric burns unit over a three year

BURN INJURIES AMONGST CHILDREN

BURN INJURIES AMONGST CHILDREN

Burn injuries constitute one of the commonest causes of childhood afflictions in developing societies like ours. Owing to the recognized limitations of our living standards, we have a higher incidence of more serious burns. Globally speaking, following road traffic accidents, burns are the second most common cause of accidental deaths in children under 5 years of age and the commonest cause of accidental deaths at home. Burns have long-term physical and psychosocial ramifications among the surviving children. While children should be encouraged to grow to their full potential, we have to strike a balance between their liberty and safety. Children are not young adults. They neither have an understanding of risky environments nor can they manage to escape from hazardous situations. Their much thinner skin is burnt quickly and more severely with a given amount of heat, which may not harm an adult otherwise. Their natural inquisitiveness and tendency to learn about things by touching or putting them in their mouth makes them more prone to sustain all kinds of burns. As these injuries stem largely from avoidable causes, parental supervision vision has a crucial role in their prevention. I t is b es t to consult a doctor or a specialist even in case of minor burns. If the burns are extensive, or involve critical areas such as face, hands, feet, airway or genitals, it is prudent to shift the child to a hospital immediately. Avoid applying noxious substances such as mud, oil, ghee, lotions, ice, iced water or powders to the burn. Also, DO NOT remove with force any clothing, which is firmly stuck to burn.

The Changing Pattern of Pediatric Burns

Journal of Burn Care & Research, 2011

After scalds, flame burns have been considered the next most common mode of burn injury in childhood. Recent experience in the authors' unit suggested that contact burns were becoming more frequent. The authors sought to determine the contemporary frequency of different burn modalities in children presenting to a burns unit. A retrospective review of 3621 children treated in the burns unit, both ambulatory and inpatient, at the authors' institution between January 2003 and December 2007 was performed. Patients were identified using the Burns Unit database. Data collected included age, gender, burn etiology and site, TBSA, and whether operative surgery was required. Of the 3515 patients eligible for inclusion, scalds accounted for 55.9%, contact 30.5%, and flame 7.9% of all burns. Contact burns were shown to be consistently more frequent than flame burns for every year of the study (z ‫؍‬ 17.30, P < .001). No seasonal variation was demonstrated amongst contact burns, reflecting the variety of mechanisms involved. The data suggest a change in the historical pattern of pediatric burns previously reported in the literature. These findings have implications for public health awareness and burns prevention campaigns. (J Burn Care Res 2011;32:178 -184)

Changing trends in pediatric upper extremity electrical burns

HAND, 2011

Background Upper extremity electrical burns are a cause of major morbidity and disability in affected individuals. Anecdotally, we have noted changes in the presentation of cases to our institution. We sought to compare current data on upper extremity electrical burns in children with our previously published historical data. Methods Using the Shriners Hospital Boston and American Burn Association databases, we retrospectively analyzed electrical upper extremity burns in patients aged 21 years or younger. Data regarding demographics, etiology, and reconstruction were collated and analyzed. Results In our institutional cohort, patients were most commonly males (37/48, 77%) aged 10–15 years (19/48, 40%). We have seen a rise in the proportion of female, younger patients, with burns attributed to domestic wiring, indicative of a reduction in the number of high-voltage injuries in males due to demonstrations of bravado. High-voltage injuries correlate with severity of injury and tended t...

An analysis of burns in children

Burns, 1977

This paper presents an analysis of 146 cases of burns in children of up to IO years of age admitted and treated in the Mclndoe Research Burns Centre during the period 1971-5 inclusive. The information needed was obtained from the routinely kept patients' notes. Some epidemiological observations, the general management of the patients and the social aspects of burn injury are presented and discussed. MATERIALS AND METHODS Epidemiology THE NUMBER of admissions of children with burns has been steadily decreasing since 1972, in both absolute numbers and as a percentage of the total admissions. There were 41 children admitted in 1972 and only 20 in 1975. This represented 40.2 per cent and 25.3 per cent respectively. However, the figures in 1971 were 27 and 36.4 per cent. The overall percentage of child admissions over the period was 35 per cent (Fig.

A Case Series of Pocket Burns In Pediatric Age Group: An Institutional Experience

Fireworks are used for various reasons all round the globe. Firework injuries are common during the festival of Diwali in India and form the majority of trauma cases seen by plastic surgeons during that period.Pocket trouser burns is a common injury occurring in children. And bombs are the most common cause. Lack of supervision by parents, ill regulated legislature for selling of crackers and the inability of children to gauge the danger of playing with firecrackers may contribute to the increasing number of such cases seen today.

Surgical management and epidemiological trends of pediatric electrical burns

Burns, 2020

Electrical burns are an uncommon yet devastating class of burn injuries. Shriners Hospitals for Children-Boston a pediatric burn center in New England and cares for both domestic and international patients. We utilized our experience over the past 13 years to review surgical management and evaluate historical trends for this unique patient group. A retrospective chart review was conducted on 68 patients aged 0À18 years admitted to our pediatric center with an electrical burn from January 2005 to December 2018. We collected and analyzed data pertaining to patient demographics, burn characteristics, clinical course, and surgical interventions. Our cohort included 31 patients from the US (46%) and 37 transferred from a variety of international countries (54%). The majority of US patients were admitted with low voltage burns (81%), whereas the majority of international patients were admitted with high voltage burns (95%). Acute and reconstructive surgical interventions were performed mainly for high voltage burns (94% and 89%). Based on our experience, epidemiology and surgical intervention varied based on voltage of the burn injury and residence of the patient. We have seen a reduction in US pediatric high voltage injuries over the past two decades, likely due to enhancement of electrical safety. It may be possible to use a similar strategy to reduce the frequency of severe high voltage electrical burn injuries in developing countries.