Management Outcome of Burn Injury and Associated Factors among Hospitalized Children at Ayder Referral Hospital, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background. Burn injuries are a global public health problem, accounting for an estimated 265,000 deaths. Globally, over half of the disability-adjusted life years lost from fire-related burns which occurred between the ages of 0 and 14 years. The rate of child deaths from burns is currently over 7 times higher in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. In Ethiopia, burn was the second leading cause of death among children from the unintentional injuries. So far, no research had been conducted in terms of assessing the outcome of burn injury in children in Ethiopia and particularly in Tigray region. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of burn injury and associated factors among hospitalized children of under 18 years at Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekelle, Ethiopia. Method. A retrospective document review was used to assess the outcome of burn injury and associated factors in Ayder Referral Hospital. A total of 382 hospitalized children’s chart from 2011 to 2015 were reviewed using a structured check list. To select the patients’ chart, a simple random sampling technique was used and a sampling frame was prepared based on a registration book. Data was entered, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Result. Almost 70% of the burns were caused by scald, and 45.3% of the burns were confined to the upper extremities. Eighty-two percent of the patients were discharged without complication. Lack of fluid resuscitation within 24 hours (AOR=2.767; 95% CI (1.276-5.999)) and a burn patient with malnutrition (AOR=0.252; 95% CI (0.069-0.923)) were statically significant with the outcome of burn injury. Conclusion. Majority of the pediatric burn patients were discharged without complication. The most causative agent of these accidents was scald; upper extremities also were the most affected area. The factors associated with the outcome of burn injury according to this study were lack of fluid resuscitation and malnourishment of burn patients.

Clinical Profiles and the Outcomes of Burn Patients Admitted to the Burn Unit of Jimma Medical Center

“…About 41.0% of the burn patients were presented lately after 24 hours of burn. 18 A study reported 10% of epileptic patients sustained burns as a result of seizures. 19 A study by Mengistu et al reported among patients who felt severe pain (87.1%), most of them (48.4%) took paracetamol, 30.6% took tramadol, and the remaining 8.1% took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac).…”

Pathological Scar and Its Associated Factors Among Survivor of Burn Victim Pediatrics Admitted to South Gondar Zone Public Hospitals, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia, 2020 – A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study

“…In this study, the total complication is in line with the study conducted in Bahir Dar. 10 However, the finding is higher than the study conducted in Addis Ababa, 21 Mekelle, 9 and America. 8 The reason for the discrepancy is due to the study conducted in Addis Ababa and Mekelle were conducted in specialized referral hospitals, which have better facilities to manage burn injury than our study setting, which is a district hospital with a poor facility to manage burn injury.…”

“…The authors prepared the checklist by reviewing different literature done on the same problems. [8][9][10][16][17][18][19] The checklist was focused on socio-demographic characteristics of an injured child, burn-related factors, treatment-related factors, and outcome-related factors. Eight trained BSc nurses who were working on the site other than the study setting were involved in the data collection and were supervised by four physicians who were also not a member of the study setting.…”

“…8 In another observational study conducted in Mekelle Ayder referral hospital, complications among burn victim pediatrics population were 17.2%, from which 1.3% were death while the other was physical complication occurs among survivors. 9 Similarly, a study conducted in Bahir Dar showed that overall complication among burn victim-survivor was 33.3%. 10 Cause of burn, age of the victim, length of hospital stay, treatment time after injury, depth of burn, and total body surface area burn were factors associated with complications among survivors of burn injury pediatrics population.…”

“…10 Cause of burn, age of the victim, length of hospital stay, treatment time after injury, depth of burn, and total body surface area burn were factors associated with complications among survivors of burn injury pediatrics population. 5,6,8,9,11 Although it might be under-reported or not documented, burn due to various accidents is ubiquitous among Ethiopian pediatrics. It is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among Ethiopian children as many hospitals are lacking a well-equipped and prepared burn center.…”