The Journal of burn care & rehabilitation
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Jan 1993
Comparative StudyThe relative risk of tissue expansion in the pediatric patient with burns.
Tissue expansion has been successfully used for reconstruction after burn injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative risk of complications of tissue expansion in the pediatric population. Children with burns who underwent reconstruction with tissue expansion were studied (37 expanders in 14 patients). ⋯ Complications occurred in 10.8% of the expanders in the burn group, in 11.2% of the expanders in the congenital anomalies group, and in 7.5% of the expanders in the acquired problems group. No significant difference between the groups was noted. We conclude, therefore, that the child with burns is at no greater risk of complications from tissue expansion than are other children.
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Two million people in the United States receive medical treatment each year for burn injuries. One hundred thousand of these patients are hospitalized, and 7800 die as a direct result of their injuries. Of the patients that are hospitalized 30% to 40% are under 15 years of age. ⋯ Flame burns account for approximately 13% of accidents, scalds account for 85%, and electrical and chemical burns account for approximately 2%. The majority of scald injuries are small. Sixteen percent of burn injuries are not accidental, and approximately half of these are a result of documentable, inflicted abuse.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Jan 1993
Social competence and behavioral problems of pediatric survivors of burns.
Sixty children (35 boys, 25 girls) with burns were surveyed at least 1 year after burn injury to assess the behavior problems and difficulties with competency that they were having. The Child Behavior Checklist, the Youth Self Report, and the Teacher Report Form developed by Achenbach were administered to obtain standardized measures of behavior and competence. The mean values for these scales were in the normal range for each age and sex. ⋯ In contrast, the Teacher Report Form and the Youth Self Report revealed very few differences from the reference population. The burn size (15% to 20% total body surface area, 35% to 50% total body surface area, and > 70% total body surface area) did not account for any of the group differences. Further studies involving detailed clinical interviews and other standardized measures are needed to understand the discrepancies between the Child Behavior Checklist and the other scales.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Jan 1993
Comparative StudyOutcome and socioeconomic aspects of suspected child abuse scald burns.
Fifty-two children suffering from abuse-related scald burns were admitted between January 1, 1986, and June 30, 1991. Their clinical and socioeconomic aspects were compared with those of 50 nonabused scalded children. Patients were matched for age, total body surface area burn, and percentage of full-thickness burn. ⋯ All but one of the abused children were discharged with a person other than their parents, and compliance with rehabilitation follow-up was significantly worse than with the control group. The person suspected of performing the abuse was always a family member, except in cases where the baby-sitter was the suspected abuser. Child abuse hurts not only the child but also society by increasing the need for resources to pay for extended hospital admissions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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The current study reports assessments of stress for parents of children with acute burns at the time of hospital admission and during the first 5 years after injury. At each assessment, parents of children with burns report neither more nor less stress than a normal population. ⋯ They report significantly higher depressive symptoms at year 2 after the child's burn injury and lower than normal levels of depression in years 4 and 5 after the child's injury. During the recovery period, these parents also attribute their stress more often to the child with burns, whereas other parents more evenly divide blame among their children and their personal characteristics.