Patterns Of Presentation And Mortality Trends Among Pediatrics Patients Admitted With Burns At Kenyatta National Hospital.

Abstract

Background: Burn injuries occurring among the children are most devastating and are a major global public health crisis. Without proper knowledge on patterns of presentation and mortality trends, such injury may cause untold suffering with increased mortality. Objectives: To determine patterns of presentation and mortality trends of burns among paediatric patients admitted with burns at Kenyatta National Hospital. Materials and methods: A retrospective study design was used. Authority was granted by KNH/UoN Ethics and Research Committee. A researcher Checklist was used to collect secondary data from all the files of mortality cases of children below 12 years admitted with burns from 1st June 2014 to 31st May 2017 from the hospital main registry. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23.0. Statistical analyses were done using the chi square. Pearson correlation coefficient was done, P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 164 mortality files were reviewed. Findings were that males were 65.2% (n=107), while females were 34.8% (n=57) with a mean age of 2.9 years and a standard deviation of 2.83. The mean total body surface area (TBSA) involved was 37.6% with the highest being 90%. About 72% (n=118) reported more than 5 hours after the incidence, with 81.1% (n=133) presenting with multiple body parts involvement; one third had inhalation injuries, sepsis, and or shock. Main cause of the burns was scalds 48.2% (n=79%) and flames 44.5 % (n=73). Conclusions and recommendations: The conclusions were that Mortality cases were high among male children with mean age of 2.99 years, presenting with an average of 37% TBSA involved, presence of inhalational injury, multiple body parts involvement, and sepsis or shock. Scalds and hot flames were the main cause of burns. The median length of stay was 2 days. The xii study recommended that children presenting with TBSA burn involvement of more than 37%, has inhalational injuries, with complications such as shock, or sepsis should be closely monitored as they are likely to succumb. There is also a need to create awareness to the population at large.