Tegtmeyer LC, Herrnstadt GR, Maier SL, Thamm OC, Klinke M, Reinshagen K, Koenigs I. Burns 2018; 44(1): 150-157.
Affiliation
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Burn Unit, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Altonaer Children's Hospital, Bleickenallee 38, 22763 Hamburg, Germany; Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany; German Society for Burn Treatment (DGV), German Burn Registry, Luisenstrasse 58-59, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: ingo.koenigs@kinderkrankenhaus.net.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this observational, multi-center study was to reveal epidemiologic, etiological and clinical aspects of hospitalized children with thermal injuries in Germany and Austria and the workup of a renewed web-based pediatric burn registry.
METHODS: From 2006 to 2015, comprehensive patient data of thermally injured children in Germany and Austria were collected prospectively. Retrospective analysis of age, gender, mechanism of injury, total body surface area burned, way of admission and length of stay was performed, followed by the comparative analysis between designated burn centers and other pediatric hospitals.
RESULTS: 32 hospitals participated in the study including data of 13,460 thermally injured hospitalized children. The majority was 12-<36 months of age with a share of 48%. 56.5% were boys. The most frequent cause of injury was scalding representing 74.4%. Designated pediatric burn centers treated 82.2% of all patients. In relation to non-centers, no significant differences were seen concerning the affected total body surface area and the amount of patients <1 year of age in contrast to a significant difference regarding the amount of fire injuries, all being parameters indicating the severity of thermal injuries. Overall mortality was 0.1%.
CONCLUSION: This study extends our knowledge about population characterization of thermally injured children, highlights risk factors and serves as a basis for the renewed pediatric burn registry from 2016 on.