The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2009 , Vol 51 , Num 4
Burn Injuries Among Children Aged Up To Seven Years
Departments of 1Forensic Medicine and 2General Surgery, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
and hospitalized at our Burn Unit between 1 January 2000 and 31 December
2007 in order to detect risk factors and prepare a program for prevention of
burn injuries in children. There were 119 boys and 81 girls (ratio 1:0.67)
and the mean total body surface area burned was 16.6±12.5%. Sixty-nine
percent (n =138) of the burn-injured children were under three years old.
Scalds accounted for more than 60% of the pediatric burns occurring in all age
groups. The anterior trunk was the most frequently affected body part (51.5%).
The overall mortality rate was 4% (8 deaths). The children included in this
study were younger than seven years and they were supposed to be under
the care of their parents. Parental neglect might have played a role in burn
injuries in these children. In developing countries like Turkey, parents should
be offered education about prevention of burn injuries in childhood.
Keywords :
pediatric burns, children, prevention, etiology, neglect.