Nonaccidental burns in child abuse.

Nonaccidental or inflicted burns account for a significant subset of children hospitalized for the treatment of burns and are a form of child abuse. We review our experience with inpatient treatment of pediatric burns and examine the characteristics of patients with accidental and nonaccidental burns. Abused children were of a younger age group. Their burns more frequently involved the buttocks and perineum and were more often caused by hot tap water. Unstable social factors and chronic medical problems were more common among those with inflicted burns. We suggest guidelines to differentiate between accidental and inflicted burn victims.