Adult burn injuries in an Emergency Department in Central Anatolia, Turkey: a 5-year analysis

doi:10.1016/S0305-4179(03)00140-2

Burns

Volume 29, Issue 6, September 2003, Pages 571-577

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-4179(03)00140-2 Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose: Burn injuries require a multidisciplinary approach. Emergency Departments can play vital roles in the treatment of burns. The purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the adult burn patients admitted to our Emergency Department and to determine the frequency of the patients who were treated on an outpatient basis and discharged from the Emergency Department.

Procedure: A retrospective review of 314 adult burn patients who presented to the Emergency Medicine Department of Erciyes University Hospital from January 1996 to December 2000.

Findings: Sixty-four percent of the patients were male. Mean age was 32.9±14.7. Ninety-nine patients (32%) had moderate to major burns. The highest numbers of patients were in the 21–30 age group. Flame burns comprised the majority of presentations and admissions (48 and 69%, respectively). Thirteen patients had associated injuries (4%). Eighty-seven patients (28%) were hospitalized, 21 of these died. Death occurred mostly from respiratory failure and sepsis. Domestic accidents were the leading mechanism (63%).

Conclusion: Burns were mostly due to accidents arising from carelessness, ignorance, hazardous traditions and improperly manufactured products. These can be prevented through mass education programs countrywide. Because almost all burn patients present to Emergency Departments first and not all hospitals can employ burn specialists, the patients with minor burns can be treated on an outpatient basis and the treatment of severe burns can be effectively initiated by emergency physicians.

Introduction

Burn injuries cause multifaceted problems for societies throughout the world. The best strategies for minimizing the burn-related damage are to take preventive measures and in the case of injury, to realize rapid and effective treatment [1], [2], [3]. Emergency Departments can play vital roles in the treatment of both moderate to major and minor injuries and may significantly affect final outcome because almost all burn patients are initially treated in these departments [4]. Our university hospital is located in Kayseri, a city almost at the center of Turkey. It serves patients from Kayseri and six neighboring cities with a total population of approximately 2 million people. There is a seven-bed Burn Unit at the Department of Plastic Surgery. There are university hospitals in two of the six neighboring cities but these do not have specialized Burn Units. In order to take preventive measures and organize rapid and effective treatment of burns, epidemiological data should be collected [2], [5], [6], [7]. The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the adult burn patients admitted to our department and to determine the frequency of the patients who were treated on an outpatient basis.

Section snippets

Patients and methods

The charts of the patients admitted to our Emergency Department between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2000 were reviewed, retrospectively. This study included adult patients only (older than 16). A total of 314 charts were collected. At our institution, patients are hospitalized if they have burns classified as moderate or major according to Grading System for Burn Severity and Disposition of the American Burn Association [8]. Data on the following were compiled: age, gender, etiology (cause

Results

Of the 314 patients, 201 (64%) were men and 113 (36%) were women. Mean age was 32.9±14.7. Two hundred and fifteen (68%) had minor and 99 (32%) had moderate to major burns. The highest and lowest numbers of patients were in the 21–30 and the 51–60 age groups, respectively (Fig. 1).

Discussion

Our results show that among adult patients, the number of men was higher than those of women (1.8:1). This is similar to the situation in other countries [5], [7], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13]. In our study, almost all work-related burns, half of the domestic accidents, and almost all traffic-related burns were seen in men. Men are more likely to be exposed to work-related burns due to kind of works (i.e. manual trade workers, laborers). Stoves are used for heating in many houses and kerosene is

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Adult burn injuries in an Emergency Department in Central Anatolia, Turkey: a 5-year analysis

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Patients and methods

Results

Discussion

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns

Accid. Anal. Prev.

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns

Burns