A 6-Year Case-Control Study of the Presentation and Clinical Sequelae for Noninflicted, Negligent, and Inflicted Pediatric Burns

Inflicted burns are one of the leading causes of abuse-related fatalities in children. Between 30 and 60% of children accidentally returned to abusive homes suffer reabuse. Given the high chance for abuse recurrence and the associated morbidity/mortality, it is critical that inflicted burns are promptly identified to guide appropriate medical and child welfare management. Although previous studies proposed historical and mechanistic features using noncomparative or poorly powered data, this study utilized comparative data from a 6-year period (2009–2014) at a certified burn center along with expert analysis from Child Advocacy and Protective Services (CAPS) to provide higher level evidence supporting classical findings while elucidating new features with respect to burn severity and required interventions. A retrospective chart review of 408 pediatric burns was cross-referenced with the respective CAPS consultations to construct a multidisciplinary, deidentified database. The average age was 2.9 years (0.04–17 years) with 232 (57%) males and 330 (81%) African-Americans. CAPS investigations confirmed burn etiologies: noninflicted (346 [85%]), negligent (30 [7%]), and inflicted (32 [8%]). In comparing the three etiologies, statistical significance (P
Source: Journal of Burn Care and Research - Category: Rehabilitation Tags: Original Articles: 2016 ABA Papers Source Type: research