Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia.
Department of Paediatric Surgery, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
J Burn Care Res. 2024 Sep 6;45(5):1207-1216. doi: 10.1093/jbcr/irae015.
Burns are a common mechanism of pediatric injury worldwide and a notable cause of disability-adjusted life-years. Burns in children represent a unique challenge due to the differences from adults regarding physical characteristics, physiology, and psychology. This retrospective cohort study examined trends of pediatric burns in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, from 2010 to 2022. It specifically focused on the changes in burn etiology and patient characteristics, body area affected, TBSA, first aid, location, and management. It also compared a "Pre-COVID-19" and "Peri-COVID-19" era to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the pattern of pediatric burns, as children are at higher risk of injury during times of social disruption. The study found that burns in children continue to be concentrated in the toddler and preschooler age group, and the main mechanisms of injury remain as scald and contact burns. In recent years, there has been a rising trend of friction burns, alongside a fall in flame burns and severe burns. Management of pediatric burns has also evolved, with predominant use of ambulatory care and low rates of admission and operative intervention. Trends in burn injury continue to evolve with time, and over the last decade in NSW, key changes in the pattern of pediatric burns have been observed, with evolving mechanisms of injury, reduced severity of burns, and a shift toward ambulatory care.
烧伤是全球儿童常见的损伤机制，也是伤残调整生命年的一个重要原因。由于儿童在身体特征、生理和心理方面与成年人存在差异，因此儿童烧伤是一个独特的挑战。本回顾性队列研究调查了 2010 年至 2022 年澳大利亚新南威尔士州（NSW）儿童烧伤的趋势。它特别关注烧伤病因和患者特征、受影响的身体部位、TBSA、急救、地点和管理方面的变化。它还比较了“COVID-19 前”和“COVID-19 期间”两个时期，以分析 COVID-19 对儿童烧伤模式的影响，因为儿童在社会动荡时期受伤的风险更高。研究发现，儿童烧伤仍集中在幼儿和学龄前年龄组，主要的受伤机制仍然是烫伤和接触烧伤。近年来，摩擦烧伤的趋势有所上升，而火焰烧伤和严重烧伤的比例有所下降。儿童烧伤的管理也在不断发展，以门诊治疗为主，住院和手术干预的比例较低。随着时间的推移，烧伤损伤的趋势不断演变，在过去十年的新南威尔士州，观察到了儿童烧伤模式的重大变化，受伤机制不断演变，烧伤严重程度降低，以及向门诊治疗的转变。
