Comparative Analysis of Burn Injuries in Toddler and Preschool Children: Implications for Triage and Outcome Assessment.

Objective: This study aims to compare the demographic, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of burn injuries in toddler and preschool children, and to validate the American Burn Association (ABA) Burn Triage Decision Matrix in the Turkish pediatric population.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 684 pediatric burn patients (494 toddlers, 190 preschoolers) admitted to our burn center over a 5-year period. Variables including gender, burn etiology, burn area, depth, treatment modalities, complications, length of hospital stay, and mortality were analyzed. The performance of the ABA Burn Triage Decision Matrix was evaluated in both groups.

Results: Scalding was the predominant cause of burns in both groups, with a significant difference in the involvement of anterior trunk ( = 0.027). The mean Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) was comparable between the groups ( = 0.286). There was no significant difference in mortality rates ( = 0.385), treatment modalities, and complications. The ABA Burn Triage Decision Matrix demonstrated consistency in triaging the severity of burn injuries, with a notable discrepancy observed in the moderate risk category of toddler group.

Conclusions: This study highlights the distinct characteristics and outcomes of burn injuries in different pediatric age groups. The ABA Burn Triage Decision Matrix's validation suggests its utility in enhancing triage accuracy and resource allocation in pediatric populations, especially in disaster-prone regions.