An Analysis of Pediatric Burn Cases in Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey: A 10-Year Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Burns continue to be a serious global public health problem all over the world, especially in developing countries.
 Materials and Methods: The age, gender, cause of injury, and total body surface area (TBSA) of the burn, complications, and mortality rate of 1,038 patients who were hospitalized in our burn center between January 1, 2010, and January 1, 2020, were analyzed.
 Results: The burned surface area was greater in boys than in girls. The mean burned body surface area for all patients was 9.2 ± 6.35, and the mortality rate was 1.45%. Hot liquids, such as tea, hot milk, hot water, and oily food, were the causes of burns in 84.7% of the patients. Hot objects, hot melted nylon, hot tandoor and embers, and hot asphalt accounted for 7.7% of the burns. Moreover, flame burns, electrical burns and frostbite, and other burn causes accounted for 5.6%, 1.2 %, and 0.8% of burn injuries, respectively. 
 Conclusions: In our region, pediatric burns occurred mostly in boys under the age of three and in children whose parents had low educational levels living in rural areas. We believe that the burn prevention program should be adjusted according to these results.