Pediatric burns in University Clinical Center of Kosovo from 2005-2010

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and cause of burns in children of our population.

Methods: This was a retrospective study that included 399 patients with burns, younger than 15 years old who were admitted to the Department of Plastic Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2010. The patients were categorized into the following three age groups: infants and toddlers (0-2 years), early childhood (3-6 years), and late childhood (7-15 years). Arithmetic median and standard deviation were calculated from statistical parameters for gender and age; the differences between the three age groups were measured with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: During the study period 2005-2010, in our population, burns in children were predominant in boys with 257 cases or 64.4%, while 142 patients were girls or 35.5% The difference between the three age groups related to the causes of burns was statistically significant: p<0.000 for electrical burns and p<0.002 for burns caused by pyrotechnic devices.

Conclusion: A high rate of childhood burns in Kosovo induces hospital admissions and prolonged hospital stays.

Keywords: Children; Injury; Prevention.