Treatment of the Pediatric Patients With Fire Injuries

Abstract

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Among children, adolescents are most at risk of burns from fire. These occurrences are often associated with unsafe behavior and experiments with fire, flammable materials, and explosive materials. In this report, we have presented our experiences with treating children severely burned by fire. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our study involved 5 cases of children who were burned by fire over the past 2 years. RESULTS: Ages of the children ranged from 2 to 17 years, and patients were exclusively boys. Burn area ranged from 10% to 47% of total body surface area and were deep second-degree B and third-degree burns. All children required staged surgical treatment, including excision of necrosis, temporary wound closure with skin substitutes, and then split thickness skin grafts. Hospitalization time ranged from 3 to 23 weeks. All patients were discharged home with wounds healed. After discharge, outpatient rehabilitation with the use of physical therapy, compression therapy, and laser therapy were initiated. CONCLUSIONS: The applied treatment enabled the patients to fully return to physical well-being and normal social functionality.