The Profile of Accidents by Hot Liquids in Children Attended at a Reference Center in Fortaleza

Abstract

Burns are frequent accidents and represent the second cause of death in childhood. The aim of this study was to identify the profile of accidents with children burned by hot liquids. This was a descriptive study conducted with 62 parents of interned children from a Burn Treatment Center in Fortaleza, Ceara, during the period of January to June, 2002. The studied variables were: age at the time of the accident, the sex, the substance that caused the burn and specific characteristics of the burn. As a result, there was a prevalence of the age group 1 to 2 years old with 30 (48.4%) admissions; 34 (54.8%) were male. Hot water was responsible for 23 (37.1%) cases and the second degree burns prevailed in 62 (62%) cases. Regarding to affected body parts, it was found that the torso was burned in 49 (28.8%) children. At the time of the thermal accident, 51 (82.3%) children were in their mothers’ company; after the incident, 36 (59.6%) children were immediately taken to the hospital. Concerning educational guidelines on prevention of burns, 48 (77.4%) parents reported not having received them from the health team. It was concluded that the profile of accidents with children burned by hot liquids at this Reference Center consists of children in first childhood, male, mainly with second degree lesions in the torso, which occurred while in their mother’s company