Self-inflicted Burns: 10 year review and comparison to national guidelines
- PMID: 26603912
- DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2015.09.018
Self-inflicted Burns: 10 year review and comparison to national guidelines
Abstract
Introduction: There is an increasing trend of self-inflicted burns noted in the literature, often seen in patients with complex psychosocial backgrounds. These patients are challenging to manage as the recovery from the acute burn may be compounded by difficult rehabilitation and suboptimal coping strategies. We aimed to review patients presenting to our burns unit with self-inflicted burns, the management strategies and examine the complexities surrounding their management. We assessed patient outcomes with a particular interest in psychosocial support given.
Methods: A retrospective review of all patients presenting with self-inflicted burns over a 10 year period (2005-2014 inclusive) was conducted. Patients were identified through IBID database coded as either 'self-inflicted' or 'suicidal.' We reviewed patient and burn demographics, the clinical management, psychosocial management and patient outcomes such as wound healing, re-admission rates, and survival.
Results: We identified 118 self-inflicted burns in total. 50/118 (42%) were admitted. 64 (54%) were male and the total body surface burn area ranged from <0.5% to 99% with a median of 14%. 60/118 (51%) had TBSA <10% and 58/118 (49%) had TBSA >10%. 24 (48%) underwent admission to the Burn Intensive Care Unit (BITU). All patients admitted to BITU had TBSA >10%. Of those admitted to BITU 6 were palliative, 18 had full resuscitation and surgical management. Of those 18 patients who had active treatment, 10/18 (56%) died. Mean total length of stay was 31 days, range 1-130 days. 9% of patients sustained injuries whilst being a current inpatient at a psychiatric institution. Of all patients reviewed, 16% (n=19) had a previous history of deliberate self-harm through burns. Of those patients admitted, 98% of were reviewed by the mental health team during their admission with time to psychological review varying depending on fitness for assessment. The overall mean length of stay for all admitted patients who were actively treated but who subsequently died was 53 days. 84% of admitted patients were managed surgically.
Conclusion: Self-inflicted burns patients would benefit from a more complex pathway of treatment as their management aims to achieve not only physical health but also psychological health. They would benefit from enhanced care to manage the acute burn but also psychiatric support to ensure patients do not re-offend.
Keywords: Multi-disciplinary team; Psychosocial; Self-inflicted.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
Self-inflicted burn injuries: Etiologies, risk factors and impact on institutional resources.Burns. 2019 Feb;45(1):213-219. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2017.07.016. Epub 2018 Nov 19. Burns. 2019. PMID: 30467036
-
Self inflicted burn; a high tide.J Pak Med Assoc. 2010 May;60(5):338-41. J Pak Med Assoc. 2010. PMID: 20527601
-
Self-inflicted burns in the Irish National Burns Unit.Burns. 2011 Nov;37(7):1229-32. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2011.04.011. Epub 2011 Jul 2. Burns. 2011. PMID: 21726948
-
Self harm is an independent predictor of mortality in trauma and burns patients admitted to ICU.Injury. 2012 Sep;43(9):1562-5. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2011.06.005. Epub 2011 Jun 28. Injury. 2012. PMID: 21714967 Review.
-
Self-inflicted burns: an eight year retrospective study in Finland.Burns. 2004 Aug;30(5):443-7. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2004.01.020. Burns. 2004. PMID: 15225909 Review.
Cited by
-
Healthcare professionals' implementation of national guidelines with patients who self-harm.J Psychiatr Res. 2020 Nov;130:405-411. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.08.031. Epub 2020 Aug 27. J Psychiatr Res. 2020. PMID: 32891028 Free PMC article.
-
A population-based comparison study of the mental health of patients with intentional and unintentional burns.Burns Trauma. 2018 Nov 6;6:31. doi: 10.1186/s41038-018-0133-0. eCollection 2018. Burns Trauma. 2018. PMID: 30410943 Free PMC article.
-
Lisbon Burn Centre experience with intentional burn injuries.Ann Burns Fire Disasters. 2020 Mar 31;33(1):14-19. Ann Burns Fire Disasters. 2020. PMID: 32523490 Free PMC article.
-
Self-Inflicted Burns: A Comparative Study in a Spanish Sample.Eur Burn J. 2025 Feb 17;6(1):8. doi: 10.3390/ebj6010008. Eur Burn J. 2025. PMID: 39982341 Free PMC article.
-
An Examination of Factors Predicting Inpatient Rehabilitation Stay After Burn Injury: A Burns Model System Study.J Burn Care Res. 2025 Jun 9:iraf108. doi: 10.1093/jbcr/iraf108. Online ahead of print. J Burn Care Res. 2025. PMID: 40488410
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical