Annually, nearly one million American children suffer
some type of burn injury. Approximately 30,000 of those
injuries require hospitalization, with 50 percent of
those patients under the age of 4. Most pediatric burns occur
in the home from accidents such as exposure to hot liquids
(something pulled off the stove, hot beverages, hot tap
water) and contact with hot surfaces (the stovetop, irons,
curling irons). However, injuries can be caused by something
as common as a sunburn to such traumatic events as fires.
These injuries range in severity from first-degree (burns that cause irritation
but no blistering) to fourth-degree (burns that expose muscle and bone)
and require varying types of treatment.
Pediatric burn patients differ from adult burn patients in several ways.
Children have thinner skin that is more easily damaged than adults, so
exposure to a heat source will be much more severe for a child. Additionally,
inhalation injury will more rapidly result in upper airway obstruction
in a child, and infants and toddlers can quickly dehydrate from second-
and third-degree burns. Very young children are more likely to die from
their burns, so it is essential that you seek medical attention promptly
when your child is involved in an accident that causes a burn.
The Burn Center at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center is one of only
two specialized facilities in the bi-state area and
the largest in Missouri. The unit admits approximately
200 patients each year, and around 20 percent of these
patients are under the age of 18. While the majority
of the Burn Center’s
patients only require outpatient treatment, occasionally,
severe accidents require extensive inpatient care.
For these situations, the Burn Center relies on a team
of specialists, including the doctors and nurses in
the Burn Center, a pediatric intensivist, a physical
therapist, an occupational therapist, a social worker,
a nutritionist, and a child life specialist.
Events that lead to severe burns are traumatic for children, and the
effects, physical and emotional, reach far beyond the
actual trauma. It is important that you work with your
child’s
specialists to support the child through the physical
healing process and to provide him/her with the ability
to reintegrate successfully into school and activities.
The STARBRIGHT
foundation has published a “Life
Lessons” comic
book to help your child gain confidence in social situations.
Additionally, the foundation provides a discussion
guide to help you work with your child throughout recovery
and reintegration.
