Pediatric burns

Burns are a common injury in children, primarily occurring during the first 5 years of life. Advances in burn care such as fluid resuscitation, prompt wound excision and coverage, and infection control have substantially improved survival and diminished complications after burns. This has shifted focus to providing greater psychological support to survivors and preventing disfiguring scarring. This chapter will provide an overview of these and other major elements of burn care, with special emphasis on challenges encountered with children. It will begin with a discussion of burn classification, which is integral to guiding treatment choices. It will then describe multiple aspects of burn treatment ranging from initial management and fluid resuscitation to the final stages of rehabilitation. This discussion will include the diagnosis and treatment of inhalation injury, a primary cause of mortality after burns, as well as the surgical management of burn wounds, wound closure alternatives, antimicrobial treatments, and the unique nutritional needs of the burn population. The chapter will conclude with a description of commonly seen complications of burns and the benefits of exercise and psychological support in long-term recovery from these injuries.