Citation

Mulgrew S, Khoo A, Cartwright R, Reynolds N. Ann. Plast. Surg. 2014; 72(1): 34-37.

Affiliation

From the *Department of Plastic Surgery, Lister Hospital, Coreys Mill Lane, Stevenage; †Department of Plastic Surgery, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge; Departments of ‡Urogynaecology, and §Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London; and ∥Department of Plastic Surgery, Salisbury Hospital Odstock, Salisbury, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/SAP.0b013e31829be8be

PMID

24056250

Abstract

The prophylactic use of antibiotic for pediatric burns has been suggested as a possible means of reduction of toxic shock syndrome. In our study, we review 1250 burn cases during a 16-year period (1983-1999). There was a change in protocol during this period (after 1991, all pediatric burn received prophylactic antibiotics irrespective of presentation), thus creating 2 groups: our control who received antibiotics when clinically necessary and our cases who received antibiotics as routine prophylaxis. Our results show no statistical difference between the 2 groups both in signs of morbidity and signs of potential toxic shock syndrome. We conclude that prophylactic antibiotic use is unnecessary and the use of antibiotics should be guided on a case by case basis according to symptoms.

Language: en