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. 2016 Mar 31;29(1):4-9.

Clinical and demographic features of burn injuries in karachi: a six-year experience at the burns centre, civil hospital, Karachi

S A Ali  1 , S Hamiz-Ul-Fawwad  1 , E Al-Ibran  2 , G Ahmed  1 , A Saleem  1 , D Mustafa  1 , M Hussain  3
Affiliations

Clinical and demographic features of burn injuries in karachi: a six-year experience at the burns centre, civil hospital, Karachi

S A Ali et al. Ann Burns Fire Disasters. .

Abstract
in English, French

Burn injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with 195,000 deaths annually. This study was conducted to identify the demographics of burn victims and the effect of different variables on the outcome of their injuries. 4016 patients admitted to the Burns Centre, Civil Hospital Karachi from January 2006 to December 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographics, burn injury details and their outcome were recorded in a pre-designed questionnaire. Injuries were categorized as: fire, chemical, scald or electrical. To estimate total body surface area (TBSA) burned in adults, the rule of nines was used. For children and infants, the Lund-Browder chart was employed. SPSS v16.0 software was used for analysis. Frequencies and percentages of all variables, and the measure of central tendencies and dispersion for continuous variables were calculated. Cross tabs were used to assess mortality. Mean age was 28.13 years. More than half of the cases (n=2337, 58.2%) were aged between 16-30 years. Labourers, housewives and students were the most commonly affected groups. Burn injuries by flame/fire and electricity were most common. Most cases were accidental, followed by suicide attempts and homicides. Mean percentage of TBSA affected was 35.49%. Mean duration of hospital stay was 16.45 days. 50.6% of the expired cases were females. The mean age of expired patients was 30.07 while for patients who survived it was 27.01 years. The outcome of burn injuries is related to various demographic factors. Female gender, increasing age, burn injuries following suicide attempts and greater surface area involvement predict poor outcome.

Les brûlures sont l’une des principales causes de morbidité et de mortalité avec 195.000 morts annuellement. Cette étude a été entreprise pour identifier les facteurs démographiques des patients brûlés et les différentes variables sur les résultats thérapeutiques. 4016 patients ont été admis au Centre des Brûlés de l’Hôpital Civil de Karachi de janvier 2006 à décembre 2011 et leurs dossiers furent analysés rétrospectivement. Les facteurs démographiques, les détails de la brûlure et les résultats furent enregistrés sur un questionnaire; la cause étiologie de la brûlures était précisée: feu, chimique, ébouillantement, électrique. Pour évaluer la surface brûlée corporelle (TBSA), c’est la règle des 9 qui était utilisée chez les adultes, et la règle de Lund et Browder chez les enfants. SPSS v16.0 fut utilisée pour l’analyse. La fréquence et les pourcentages de tous les facteurs et la mesure des constantes et leur variation étaient calculées. Cross tabs furent utilisées pour évaluer la mortalité. La moyenne d’âge était de 28 ans; plus de la moitié des cas (n=2337, 58.2 %) étaient âgés de 16 à 30 ans. Ouvriers, femmes au foyer, et étudiants constituaient le groupe le plus important. Les brûlures par flamme et électriques étaient les plus fréquentes. La plupart des cas était de cause accidentelle, suivi par les tentatives de suicide, et les homicides. Le pourcentage moyen (TBSA) était de 35.49%. La moyenne du temps d’hospitalisation était de 16,45 jours. 50.6% des cas mortels étaient des femmes. L’âge moyen des patients décédés était de 30.07, alors que celle des survivants était de 27.01 années. Le résultat du traitement des brûlures dépend des divers facteurs démographiques. Le sexe féminin, le grand âge, les brûlures lors de tentatives de suicide, et les brûlures de grande surface sont de mauvais pronostic.

Keywords: accidental; burns; electrical burn; homicidal; hospital stay; inhalation injury; suicidal.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Total Body Surface Area burned (in percent).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Total Body Surface Area burned (in percent).
Table I
Table I. Cross tab between Total Body Surface Area and duration of stay
Table II
Table II. Cross tab between Total Body Surface Area burned with outcome of the patient in terms of mortality
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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