Variation in burn wound management approaches for paediatric burn patients in Australia and New Zealand

Background: To date, no large-scale exploration of the profile of, and variance among paediatric patients who underwent a burn wound management procedure in theatre exists in an Australian and New Zealand context. This study aims to provide a profile of paediatric burn patients who underwent a burn wound management procedure in theatre during an acute admission and highlight specific areas of practice where there is variation between burn services that may affect treatment efficacy and efficiency.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all paediatric patients (ages <16 years) who sustained a burn injury between July 2016 and June 2019 and underwent a burn wound management procedure in theatre, using data from the Burns Registry Australia New Zealand.

Results: The number of patients across burn services decreased as TBSA increased. Deep dermal burns represented the majority of cases across services. There was significant variation in time from injury to admission and the proportion of patients who received skin grafts across services.

Conclusions: Significant differences in the patient profile and clinical practices were observed among burn services. A greater understanding of the factors underlying the variations at each particular service will also be helpful.