Burns of refugees/asylum seekers children who had to leave their homes due to the war
7th World Congress of the World Federation of Associations of Pediatric Surgeons (WOFAPS), Praha, Çek Cumhuriyeti, 12 - 15 Ekim 2022, ss.140, (Özet Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Praha
- Basıldığı Ülke: Çek Cumhuriyeti
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.140
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Aim: We aimed to share our data about burned-children treated in our pediatric-burn-center (PBC), which
occurred in the children of four countries (Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia) who had to leave their
homes due to the civil war.
Methods: Children who were lived in refugee camps in their own countries, where civil wars continued, and
who were under the status of asylum seeker/refugee in Turkey, were treated in our PBC were included in
the study. Age, gender, nationality, cause, months-of-burns, length-of-stay at PBC, whether there was inhalation
injury, total burned body surface area (TBBSA), grafting, and mortality rates were evaluated, retrospectively.
Data were compared with Turkish patients. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS. P<0.05 was considered
significant.
Results: Between 01 February 2012 and 28 February 2022, 1673 burned children were treated in our PBC.
Of these, 279 (16.7%) were citizens of countries where civil war continued. The length-of-stay at PBC for
foreigners was longer (P<0.001), TBBSA was bigger (P<0.001), the incidence of fire/flame burns and related
inhalation injury was higher (P<0.001), and grafting rates were higher (P=0.001). The mortality rate of foreigners
was five times higher (8.6% versus 1.65%, P<0.001). Of the foreigners, 86.7% were Syrian, 6.1% Iraqi,
5.4% Afghan, and 1.8% Somalian. Refugees/asylum seeker victims were injured mostly in the winter-months
and by the flame/fire burns caused by the fuel-stove used for heating in the refugee camps (Figure-1). The
second most common cause was the fires caused by other reasons in the tents/barracks, followed by bomb
explosions.
Conclusion: Asylum-seekers/refugees, mostly children, and women, escaping from the war live in terrible
conditions in the camps. Fuel-stoves and related fires are the most common cause of burns in the refugee
camps. For this reason, international organizations should find a solution to the heating problem in camps
other than fuel-stoves.