Local burn center treated 17 patients over holiday

The Fourth of July holiday is usually a busy time for staff members of the Burnett Burn Center at The University of Kansas Hospital, and this year is no exception, according to the hospital.

From the morning of July 3 through midday July 5, the hospital  treated 17 patients for fireworks-related injuries. Six of those patients have been admitted to the burn unit. Of all the patients treated, the youngest was 17 months and the oldest was a patient in their early 40’s.

“We prepare for this time every year,” said Kayla Northrop, nurse educator in the burn unit. “Unfortunately, we see injuries from fireworks of all kinds, including bottle rockets, M-80’s, smoke bombs and sparklers.”

In 2011, the burn unit team treated 30 patients over a five-day period for fireworks-related injuries. In 2012, that figure rose to 38. In both years, most of those were adults in their early to mid-20’s, but several were children as young as two and three years old.

 

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