Abstract: Introduction Burns represent one of the most common injuries in children, after traffic accidents and interpersonal violence. Burn wounds in children require a quick and comprehensive treatment process which requires the involvement of a specialist medical care and cooperative parents. Material and methods A retrospective study comprised 55 pediatric patients (39 boys and 16 girls) with burn injuries hospitalized in 2019 at the East Centre of Burn Treatment in Łęczna. The cases were analyzed in terms of age, gender, burn area, total number of hospitalization days, and the method of wound care. The age range was from 1 to 15 years. Results The average age was 3.75 years. The most frequently burnt area of the body was the trunk, upper and lower extremities. As many as 71% of patients suffered boiling water burns. Hospitalization ranged from 2 to 29 days, with an average duration of 11.95 days. The percentage of burnt body surface area ranged from 0.5% to 35%. Upper extremity injuries were most frequently associated with contact burns (p=0.01), while the hand was most often injured a result of contact with boiling water (p=0.04). Necrectomy constituted the main wound treatment modality in burnt children (94.5%). A correlation was observed between the performed transplant and the child’s age (p=0.04). Furthermore, transplantation affected the length of hospitalization (p<0.001). It was also noted that the graft was more common in foot burns (p=0.01) and in flame burns (p=0.04). The duration of hospitalization was influenced by the presence of perineal (p=0.01) and lower extremity (p=0.02) burns. Conclusions Burns are a common injury in children around 3 years of age, which requires prompt treatment. The basic procedure in the treatment of burns is excision of necrotic tissues and skin grafting. Moreover, the age of the child and the location of burns affect the selection of the treatment procedure.

Key words: burns, burn wounds, children, treatment