Emergency Care of Pediatric Burns

Ashley M Strobel; Ryan Fey

doi:10.1016/j.emc.2017.12.011

Emergency Care of Pediatric Burns

Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2018 May;36(2):441-458. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2017.12.011.

Authors

Ashley M Strobel¹, Ryan Fey²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, 701 South Park Avenue R2.123, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA. Electronic address: Ashley.strobel@gmail.com.
² Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, 701 South Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA.

PMID: 29622333
DOI: 10.1016/j.emc.2017.12.011

Abstract

Although the overall incidence of and mortality rate associated with burn injury have decreased in recent decades, burns remain a significant source of morbidity and mortality in children. Children with major burns require emergent resuscitation. Resuscitation is similar to that for adults, including pain control, airway management, and administration of intravenous fluid. However, in pediatrics, fluid resuscitation is needed for burns greater than or equal to 15% of total body surface area (TBSA) compared with burns greater than or equal to 20% TBSA for adults. Unique to pediatrics is the additional assessment for non-accidental injury and accurate calculation of the percentage of total burned surface area (TBSA) in children with changing body proportions are crucial to determine resuscitation parameters, prognosis, and disposition.

Keywords: Abuse; Burn; Emergency; Inhalation injury; Resuscitation; Scald; Total body surface area.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Airway Management / methods
Burns / mortality
Burns / therapy*
Child
Fluid Therapy / methods
Humans
Multiple Organ Failure / mortality
Pediatric Emergency Medicine / methods*
Resuscitation / methods*
Risk Factors
Smoke Inhalation Injury / mortality