Mortality from burns in Zaria: an experience in a developing economy

Abstract

Objective: To determine the cause of morbidity and mortality in burns patients managed over a period of eight years in our hospital.

Design: A retrospective study.

Setting: Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital.

Subjects: Two hundred and seven patients admitted and treated for burn care between January 1980 and August 1987.

Results: There were 114 males and 93 females with male/female ratio 1.2:1. Fifty four percent of the admissions occurred during the harmattan period, which is cold and dry season of November to February, 52% of admissions were children below the age of five years. The severest injury was caused by petrol burn with a mean % BSA of 53 and range 23-100. Scalds accounted for 39% while flame accounted for 57% of the injuries. Clothing injury was a cause of extensive burns accounting for 12% of burn injury with % BSA of 36. Complications leading to morbidity and mortality include, wound infection leading to septicaemia and septic shock, hypovoleamia with hypovolaemic shock, which gave a mortality of 100% of those who developed shock state. Seventy three patients died giving a crude mortality rate of 35%.

Conclusions: There is a need for health education to reduce incidence of burn injury. Since burn injuries are largely preventable, it is important to define clearly, the social, cultural and economic factors, which contribute to burn causation in order to combat them effectively.