Pediatriske brannskader fra 2015-2019 ved OUS - Skåldeskader fremdeles et utbredt problem

ABSTRACT Objective: The goal of this study was to create an overview of pediatric burn injuries, with a special focus on scald burns among children < 18 years of age. By examining the mechanisms of significant scald burns, the aim was to discover insight into prevention strategies. Methods: Medical records for children < 18 years of age, who were admitted with burn injuries between January 2015 and December 2019, were identified through the Oslo universitetssykehus (OUS), DIPS system. Demographic data and details of the circumstances and mechanism of injury were some of the variables extracted from the medical records. Results: 370 admissions to OUS during the 5-year study periode involved children with burn injuries. 271 were ≤ 3-years of age and a majority (57.2%) of these children were males. Injuries typically occur during the winter months, in the child’s home with the mother present. The most common mechanism of injury was scald burns (78.9%) in both age groups ≤ 3-years (88.2%) and > 3-years of age (53.5%). First aid was initiated at the site of injury in 65.9% of the reported cases. Few patients were transferred to Haukeland universitetssykehus (HUS). 22.2% of the children were given Dormicum® or Ketalar® when arriving at OUS for assessment of the depth and extent of the burn, and wound cleaning. The mean TBSA expressed as % was 4.73 and 69.8% had TBSA ≤ 5%. 64.1% of the children had superficial dermal IIa burn injuries mainly on their torso, 11.4% was in need of a partial thickness skin graft and 27.0% received antibiotics primarily because of a wound infection. Average hospital stay was 13 days and a little over 1/3 of the children had a follow-up session and the majority of these children had superficial, small burns. Conclusion: Current prevention strategies don’t adequately address the most common mechanism of scald injury requiring hospitalization. Many of the incidents could have been avoided. An objective of this study was to provide information to potentially target scald prevention programs or strategies. Prevention programs are important to improve awareness and decrease the incident of pediatric scald burns. The information can for example be incorporated into the «Helsestasjonsprogrammet 0-5 år» to make parents and caregivers more aware. This study aims to increase knowledge about scald injuries, what devastating effects they can have, how to avoid them, first aid, and how the treatment takes place at the hospital