Burns in Children: Epidemiological, Clinical, Therapeutic and Outcome Aspects at the Albert Royer Children's Hospital in Dakar

Introduction: Childhood burns are common injuries that carry significant morbidity. In this article, the outcome of pediatric burns in Senegal is audited. Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive study carried out over 20 months, from May 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, at the pediatric surgery department of the Albert Royer Children's Hospital in Dakar. Demographic and clinical parameters were studied. Results: During the study period 78 skin burns were treated as in-patients. This formed 10.02% of all hospital admissions during that period. The mean age was 43 months (range 6mo - 15yr). The sex ratio was 1.16. Burns occurred in the morning in 38% of cases. The mean delay of medical consultation was 72 hr. Spillage of hot liquid was the commonest etiology in 85% of cases. Transportation had been done by non-medical vehicles in 95% of cases. The mean extent of burns was 11% of total body surface area. All of them were second degree burns. Multiple body parts were burnt in 83% of patients. The mean length of hospitalization was 9 days. Anemia was found in 29.5% of children. The mortality rate was 6.4%. Conclusion: Skin burns are common in Senegalese children, and are most often due to domestic accidents. In our resource-limited setting, the morbidity and mortality remains high. Preventive measures appear to be the practical way of reducing them.