Pediatric Burn Care

Lurie Children’s provides burn care for children who arrive at the Kenneth and Anne Griffin Emergency Care Center with minor burns. Patients with burns are seen immediately by our specialists, who then determine the best course of care depending on the severity of the burn.

The trauma service evaluates a variety of burns including:

• Chemical injury
• Electrical injury
• Friction
• Radiation injury
• Thermal injury

All burns will be categorized by depth and whether it is partial or full-thickness. Children with more serious burns are admitted to the hospital. Admitted patients typically stay for one to four days for pain control and so that nurses can teach family members how to apply and change the burn dressings.

Depending on the location of the burn, the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery along with the Department of Physical Therapy may be called in to help develop a treatment plan for patients. In some patients with more severe burns, further surgical treatment such as a skin-graft may be required to assist in the healing process.

Every child seen in the Emergency Care Center with a burn needs to be seen again within 48-72 hours and are referred to our outpatient wound clinic. Our group of specialists dedicated to caring for children with burns and other wounds is comprised of three wound care-certified advance practice nurses (APNs), one of whom has more than 12 years of experience. The availability of these three nurses allows us to have outpatient clinics every day, assuring that your child will be seen in a timely fashion. These APNs will provide ongoing care to your child until the burns have completely healed. They will also bring in our pediatric surgeons for consultations when necessary.