The largest centre for severe burn injuries for children in Germany is located in Hamburg at the Catholic Children’s Hospital Wilhelmstift and is of national importance for the care of children and adolescents with scalds and burns.

Every year , the Centre for Children with Severe Burn Injuries treats over 400 inpatient and around 600 outpatient cases of children with burn injuries. 1,000 wound treatments under anesthesia are performed annually in the center’s special operating room. In addition to the referral by the rescue service, more than 50 patients are brought to the Wilhelmstift in Hamburg by air rescue from all over northern Germany every year.

In the center, intensive medical monitoring and precise treatment at the highest level are carried out, which requires continuous and highly qualified care of the patients by the Burn Team . Specially equipped rooms are available for this intensive treatment, in which, for example, the humidity and room temperature are optimally regulated in order to meet the requirements of the severely injured children. The care of children with severe burn injuries is particularly complex and requires regular, sometimes daily dressing changes, which sometimes take several hours for careful wound care and are carried out in the in-house operating room. These complex interventions are among the core tasks of the center, which require extremely precise and coordinated cooperation.

The therapy of the highly complex injuries places special demands on the so-called burn team. A multi-professional medical team consisting of a plastic surgeon, a pediatric surgeon, an intensive care physician and a specially trained nurse. The Burn Team is supported by pregnancy specialists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists as well as the psychosocial team of social pedagogues and psychologists who take care of the patients and their families.

The entire treatment at the center includes both acute care and long-term therapeutic measures. This includes needs-based paediatric medical measures and guideline-based wound care. If injuries are worse and wounds cannot heal on their own, skin grafts are performed over several treatment phases, which help to improve the quality of life of the children in the long term.

After completion of the acute medical treatment , we offer comprehensive aftercare that makes it possible to minimize scarring and functional impairments. This aftercare takes place in our special consultation hours, which are continued until the children and adolescents are fully grown.

Parents and interested parties can find tips and information materials at: https://www.paulinchen.de/praevention/tipps-zum-schutz/

First aid in an emergency

• Alert the emergency number 112.
• For pain therapy, cool burn wounds with lukewarm water for about 10 minutes (approx. 20 °C) until the emergency services arrive. Important: Due to the risk of hypothermia, only cool the injured areas!
• Do not cool in case of extensive injuries (more than 15% of the body surface), in newborns and infants and in unconscious persons.
• Extinguish flames by rolling on the ground or with water.
• Do not remove burned-on clothing.
• In case of scalds, immediately remove the child’s soaked clothes, including the diaper.
• In the event of an electric breach, immediately switch off the electrical circuit.
• Never apply flour, toothpaste or oil to burns.
• Always call the emergency services if your child has been seriously injured. If you have minor injuries, go to your pediatrician.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.