BACKGROUND: This study describes the experience with the care of burned children in the Burn Treatment Unit, Division of Plastic Surgery, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo - HCFMUSP) over 15 consecutive months. METHODS: The data of 98 patients up to 13 years of age treated in the Burn Treatment Unit of HCFMUSP from October 2009 to December 2010 were analyzed. RESULTS: The average age of the children was 5.2 years; 67 (68.4%) were boys. Accidents were responsible for burns in 93 (94.9%) cases, whereas 1 (1%) case of burns was caused by aggression. There was a higher incidence of burns in children under 2 years of age. The main agent causing burns was hot liquids (48%), followed by fire (17%) and hot solids (17%). The mean body surface area affected by second- and third-degree burns was 10%. Six (6.1%) patients had burns over more than 20% of their body surface area - 5 (83.3%) of them had burns due to burning alcohol and 1 (16.7%) due to scalding water. All cases in which more than 30% of the body surface was affected by second- and third-degree burns were due to alcohol burns. CONCLUSIONS: This survey demonstrates the importance of burn injuries in pediatric patients. The dataset suggests prevention efforts should focus on the domestic environment, particularly against scalding in children less than 5 years of age. In children older than 5 years, prevention programs should focus on both domestic and extradomestic environments.
Burns; Child; Accident prevention
