Citation

Flaherty MR, Sheridan R. J. Burn Care Res. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Burn Association, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1093/jbcr/irz127

PMID

31289816

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Thermal burns are a leading cause of preventable injury in children and adolescents. Fire pits have become increasingly popular outdoor fixtures in US homes. We aimed to identify trends in pediatric burn injuries related to fire pits that presented to a representative sample of United States Emergency Departments (EDs). STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of annual ED visits from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2017 using product codes specific to fire pits. United States Census population estimates were used to compute rates per 100,000 population. SAS and Joinpoint weighted regression analyses were used to analyze annual estimates and rate trends across the study period.

RESULTS: There were 10,951 (95 % CI 8,535-13,367) ED visits for burn injuries secondary to outdoor fire pits in patients 19 years of age and younger across the study period. The majority of injuries occurred in children under the age of 5, and were related to falls into or on a hot fire pit. The annual modeled rate change showed an overall significant increase in burn injuries of 7.16 per 100,000 annually from 2006-2017 (p=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: Outdoor fire pits represent an increasing hazard to young children who are particularly susceptible to burn injuries from falls in or around lit recreational fires. Product modifications and public awareness campaigns are necessary to prevent future life-altering injuries in pediatric patients.

© American Burn Association 2019. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en

Keywords

Burns; Injury; prevention