In access to surgical burn care, African American (AA) children are disproportionately represented, according to a study published in Burns. Jared R. Gallaher, MD, MPH, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of all pediatric patients (N=4,227; aged <18) admitted to a tertiary burn center. Comparing AA to all others, the researchers used bivariate analysis. Of the total cohort, AA children (33.7%) were disproportionally represented versus a state population of 22.3%. In addition, AA patients had a longer median length of stay at 5.8 days (SD, 13.6) versus 4.9 days (SD, 13.8) and larger %TBSA, with a median of 3% (IQR, 1–6) compared with 2% (IQR, 1–5, P< 0.001). Compared with other races, AA patients were more likely to have autologous skin grafting, with an adjusted RR of 1.49 (95% CI, 1.22-1.83) when controlling for burn type, Area Deprivation Index national rank, %TBSA, and age. “The intersection between social deprivation and race creates a unique risk for AA patients,” the study authors wrote.
