Thermal Injuries in Childhood From First Aid Management up to current Preventive Measures

In addition to accidents sustained during sporting activities and road traffic accidents, thermal injuries are among the most common injuries in childhood. In infants and toddlers the vast majority of thermal injuries consist of scalds whereas older children often suffer from severe burns frequently associated with explosions or electricity. Presentation of effective first aid measures following thermal injuries and different campaigns to prevent scalds and burns in children with special emphasis on the work of the German competence network. Summary of the German S2k guidelines on the standardized management of thermal injuries in children. Review of the literature with follow-up of national and international prevention campaigns. Paulinchen - Initiative for Young Burn Survivors (Paulinchen - Initiative fur brandverletzte Kinder e.V.) and the National Working Group More Safety for Children (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Mehr Sicherheit fur Kinder) as well as many other activities are part of the German interdisciplinary program to train parents how to prevent thermal injuries in children. Based on the literature parental awareness as well as specific safety measures in the domestic setting are able to reduce the number of thermal injuries in the pediatric population. The burns register of the German Society of Burns Medicine provides preliminary epidemiological data regarding incidence, management and outcome of thermal injuries in children. Based on these data new prevention strategies have to be established in order to reduce the incidence of scalds and burns in the pediatric population in the future.