BURNS IN CHILDREN ADMITTED AT THE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL OF KIGALI (CHUK), RWANDA: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Background: Burn injuries are responsible for high rates of mortality and morbidity in the pediatric population particularly in developing countries. However, there is a lack of published data on pediatric burn injuries in Rwanda.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe burns in children admitted at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali.

Methods: This was a retrospective review over a 1-year period from June 2014 to June 2015 with data retrieved from the case-files of the patients.

Results: The total number of children with burn injury admitted was 72. Males predominate with 63.9% of all cases. Three-quarters (77.8%) were aged 3 years and younger. Scalds were by far the commonest type of burn occurring in 93% of the patients. Partial thickness burns accounted for 91.7% of cases. The average length of hospital stay was 20.9 days and the mortality rate 16.7%. Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) burned greater than 25% and full thickness burns were associated with mortality.

Conclusion: Scalds were the most common type of burns in this population. Mortality was higher than reported in studies from other developing countries. Improvement in household safety, promotion of early consultation and raising the awareness of the community through public health campaigns could positively reverse the trends.