Epidemiology of burns in patients of a Pediatric Hospital

Abstract

Burns in the pediatric age is a public health problem, apart from the risk of dying, they can let functional and aesthetic sequels, which cause psychological, social, family and work problems throughout life. Using secondary sources (medical records), we performed a descriptive, quantitative, and observational studies, in order to determine the frequency of burns in children treated at the Hospital del Niño DIF Pachuca Hidalgo. We retrospectively studied 171 medical records covering a period from January 2005 to December 2010, in which it was found that males had the highest incidence of this trauma, in terms of age, children aged younger have the highest risk of a burn, getting more frequent in the age of 0-4 years. Regarding the degree of burn, the most common was of 2nd degree, caused by chemical and thermal reasons mainly. It was found that only one patient died and 6 were transferred to tertiary hospitals. Dicloxacillin and ketorolac were the most commonly used in most cases. We observed that children who come to our hospital suffering from burns, these vary in length, depth and in the cause which creates them. Also, a good percentage of children treated presented squeals. This could have cosmetic, psychological and functional consequences in children, so patients must be treated from a multidisciplinary perspective.