title: Pediatric scalds: do cooking-related burns have a higher injury burden?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pediatric scald burns result in frequent emergency room visits and hospitalizations. We investigated whether cooking-related burns produce greater morbidity requiring more extensive care than noncooking burns.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a 6-y review at our free-standing children's hospital. Children aged <18 y admitted for accidental scald burns were included. Demographics, injury pattern, treatment, and outcome (contractures and/or limited mobility and nonhealing and/or infected wounds) data were analyzed comparing cooking versus noncooking burns. The Mann-Whitney U test, a chi-square test, and the negative binomial were used to compare continuous, categorical, and count data between groups. Bivariate analysis was performed to identify risk factors among patients with adverse outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 308 patients; 262 (85%) cooking and 46 (15%) noncooking burns. Most patients were African-American males, with public insurance, and a median age of 2 y. Cooking burns preferentially occurred over the head, neck, and upper body; noncooking burns were distributed over the lower body (P < 0.02). Median total body surface area was equal for both groups (P > 0.11). In subgroup analysis, semisolid and grease burns resulted in increased rates of wound contractures and/or limited mobility when compared with noncooking burns (P = 0.05 and P = 0.008, respectively). Patients with complications were more likely to have third degree burns and required more consults, longer hospitalization, and more surgical debridements and clinic visits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most accidental scald burns occurred in young children during food preparation. Greater long-term morbidity was found in patients with semisolid and grease burns. This subset of children has a higher injury burden and requires extensive care in the acute and long-term setting.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Marielena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bachier
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Regan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jancelewicz
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. Electronic address: afeliz@uthsc.edu.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feliz
mesh_terms: D000061:Accidents, Home; D000293:Adolescent; D002056:Burns / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003296:Cooking; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Cooking-related burns; Long-term complications; Pediatric; Scald burns