Are closed dressing of burns in children effective?

Abstract

Burns are a common home accident world-wide. Sixty-six patients in the Paediatric Department were treated by closed dressing and were followed up for a period of two months. The peak age was between 2-5 years with the causative agent being hot water. The majority of burns were mild to moderate in severity, that is, first and second degree burns. In the majority of cases, a definite dressing was applied within 24 hours of the burn. 60% of patients were discharged home within 15 days of admission. Three patients died from sepsis (one patient) and probable electrolyte imbalances (2 patients). Other complications were few. The result show that closed dressing of burns in our experience definitely has advantages over the traditional open methods and is to be preferred.