Chapter 16
Pediatric Burns
Raquel Gonzalez, MD
Christina M. Shanti, MDI. Introduction
(^) Burn injuries affect approximately 2 million people in the United States
on an annual basis, approximately half of these occur in children. Although
most tend to be minor burns, fifty thousand injuries will be considered moderate
to severe requiring hospitalization. Approximately 5.6% of affected patients will
succumb to their injury; burn injuries are responsible for approximately 2500
deaths in the pediatric population annually.
Scald burns are the main culprit in children younger than 5 years of age.
Flame burns are commonly seen in older children, especially in adolescents,
who tend to experiment with fire and volatile agents.
Child abuse accounts for a significant cause of burns in the pediatric
population. The following burn injuries should prompt suspicion of child abuse:
injuries with bilateral symmetric distribution and/or a stocking glove distribution,
injuries to the dorsum of the hands, or burns in patients whose medical care
has been delayed.
II. Pathophysiology
Thermal injury produces coagulation necrosis of the epidermis and a
varying depth of injury to the underlying tissue. Although the extent of burn