The Leading Causes of Death after Burn Injury in a Single Pediatric Burn Center

The authors reviewed autopsy reports for 144 pediatric burn patients admitted to their burn center from 1989-2009. The leading cause of death over the 20-year period was sepsis (47% overall; 54% for 1999-2009), followed by respiratory failure (29%), anoxic brain injury (16%), and shock (8%). Multi-drug resistant bacteria are believed to account for the increase in sepsis over time.