Patterns of burn injury in the preambulatory infant

IntroductionThis study was undertaken after an increasing trend in young babies presenting with severe burns was observed in Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) in Perth, Western Australia. The aim was to explore the patterns of these injuries with a view to identifying whether they could be prevented with better parent education.MethodInclusion criteria was infants under 6 months of age who sustained a burns injury requiring admission or out-patient treatment in the Burns Unit of PMH between July 2005 and September 2007.ResultsImmobile infants are at significant risk of burns. In infants who are not yet mobile, environmental factors are commonly implicated, with the vast majority of burns sustained in the home. The mechanisms of injuries were scalds (43%), contact burns (39%), sunburn (11%) and TPN burns in premature infants in NICU (7%). TBSA ranged from <0.5% to 30%.ConclusionInfants less than 6-month-old are at significant risk of burn; at this age the injury is usually caused by hazards in the home environment. These infants are vulnerable to inadequate first aid and require a large amount of follow-up care. Better parental education may help reduce the number of injuries we see in this age group.