Paediatric burn injuries in Enugu, South-East Nigeria: A 7-year multi-centre retrospective review

Abstract

Burn injuries contribute significantly to childhood morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to document the pattern of presentation and outcome of pediatric burn injury in Enugu.

Methods: All children with burn injuries over a 7-year period (June 2011 to May 2018) and were managed at three tertiary health institutions, were studied. Information including their socio-demographics, clinical features and treatment outcome were obtained and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0.

Results: 198 out of 201 records were available for analysis. Most (186; 93.9%) burn injuries occurred at home. Hot liquid (112; 56.7%) was the commonest cause of burn injury. A lot of substances were used topically for first aid, raw eggs (52; 31%) being the commonest. The outcome had significant association with cause of injury, depth of injury, total burn surface area (TBSA), and inhalation injury. Most were safely discharged home while a total of thirteen (6.6%) children died. LA₅₀ was 54.87%, while the maximum TBSA salvaged was 65%.

Conclusion: Burn injuries in children in this environment remain a serious challenge in the face of widespread lack of awareness regarding safe practices in handling hot and flammable items at home.

Keywords: Burns; Injury children; Outcome.