Ambulatory management of burns in children

A majority of burns in children may have an ambulatory management for which the paediatrician has an important role. He must assess the severity of th e burn by quoting extent, depth and localization of the burn injuries and t hen send the most severe to a specialized burn centre. The circumstances an d the social situation are important in the decision of either hospitalizat ion or ambulatory care, remembering that the burn may correspond to child a buse. The treatment consists of initially refreshing the burn to limit the extension, then washing the lesions using topical antiseptic soap, finally applying standard silver sulfadiazine cream. Local care is accomplished dai ly the first few days, then every three days to follow the healing and to k eep a watch on possible complications such as infections or failure to heal , which must be treated in burn units. Pain relief treatment is an importan t part of the management (C) 1999 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsev ier SAS.