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FOX 5: November 27, 2000

Burns

Every year, thousands of children suffer from preventable burn-related injuries. Burns are the second leading cause of accidental death in childhood. Children's National Medical Center is the leading burn treatment center in the country. Leading the way in new treatments and technologies to decrease length of stay and pain from the burns.

Sources of Burns
Burns can come from many different sources, including hot steam, hot liquid, grease, curling irons, room heaters, ovens, gasoline, fireworks, and hot foods. Children's skin is much thinner than adult's skin, therefore, many things that would not have an effect on adults might seriously injure a child.

Types of Burns
There are three main types of burns: first, second and third degree. Burns are categorized by the amount of damage that is done to the skin. A first-degree burn is the mildest type of burn; they produce redness, blistering, swelling and pain. Second-degree burns are painful and can cause skin to range in color from white to red. Third-degree burns are caused by prolonged contact. Third-degree burns have little or no pain because of nerve damage.

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign provides the following prevention tips:
  • Never leave a child alone, especially in the bathroom or kitchen. If you must leave the room, take the child with you.
  • Install smoke alarms in your home on every level and in every sleeping area. Test them once a month, replace the batteries at least once a year (unless the batteries are designed for longer life), and replace the alarms every ten years. Ten-year lithium alarms also are available and do not require an annual battery change.
  • Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below. The lower the temperature, the lower the risk of sustaining scald burn-related injuries. Consider installing water faucets and showerheads containing anti-scald technology.
  • Keep matches, gasoline, lighters and all other flammable materials locked away and out of reach of children.
  • Use back burners, and turn pot handles to the back of the stove when cooking. Keep appliance cords out of children's reach, especially if the appliances contain hot foods or liquids. Cover unused electrical outlets with safety devices.
  • Keep hot foods and liquids away from table and counter edges. Never carry or hold children and hot foods and/or liquids at the same time.
  • Never allow children to handle fireworks.

    TransCyte
    Children's National Medical Center is in the forefront of burn care by treating burns with a bio-engineered human fibroblast-derived skin substitute called TransCyte. The skin substitute protects the burn wound from environmental insults. Through the application of Transcyte in a trial period on 140 pediatric patients within a year, statistics have shown that TransCyte reduced length of stay, and TransCyte is more cost effective than other burn treatments.