The effect of full-thickness abdominal wall burns sustained during childhood on subsequent childbearing ability.

Abstract

The effect of full-thickness burns of the abdomen during childhood on subsequent pregnancy was evaluated. Eight hundred female pediatric patients treated for acute burns during a 14-year period (1975-1989) at the Shriners Burns Institute were reviewed. Through a combination of clinical follow-up, questionnaires, or phone interviews, data were obtained regarding the histories of 31 pregnancies in 19 patients who had required excision and skin grafting of > or = 50% of their abdominal wall during management of their acute burns. These patients sustained a mean burn size of 59.8% total body surface area (TBSA; range, 23-87%) with a mean full-thickness burn of 43.8% TBSA (range, 10-78%). The mean age at the time of burn was 7.6 years (range, 1.5-15 years). Normal rates of vaginal and cesarean section deliveries, prematurity, and infant mortality were observed in these 31 pregnancies. Despite a subjective sensation of increased tension on the scar in 25% of the patients, no interference with these patients carrying a full-term pregnancy directly attributable to the burn scar was identified. Follow-up and examination during the third trimester of pregnancy demonstrated how the burned and unburned portion of the abdominal wall accommodated the enlarged uterus. This review demonstrates that after extensive burns to the abdomen, which have been treated with excision and skin grafting during childhood, the scarred abdominal wall accommodates full-term pregnancy without the need for surgical release.