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. 2022 Jun;48(3):2029-2038.
doi: 10.1007/s00068-021-01777-y. Epub 2021 Aug 31.

Epidemiology of burn patients admitted in the Netherlands: a nationwide registry study investigating incidence rates and hospital admission from 2014 to 2018

Daan T Van Yperen  1   2 , Esther M M Van Lieshout  3 , Michael H J Verhofstad  1 , Cornelis H Van der Vlies  1   2
Affiliations

Epidemiology of burn patients admitted in the Netherlands: a nationwide registry study investigating incidence rates and hospital admission from 2014 to 2018

Daan T Van Yperen et al. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to gain insight into the epidemiology of burn patients admitted to a hospital without a burn center or referred to a burn center.

Methods: This retrospective, nationwide, cohort study included patients with burns or inhalation trauma, admitted between 2014 and 2018, from a national trauma registry. The primary outcome measure was admission to a hospital with or without a burn center. Secondary outcome measures were patient and injury characteristics, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission and length of stay, and hospital length of stay (HLOS).

Results: Of the 5524 included patients, 2787 (50.4%) were treated at a non-burn center, 1745 (31.6%) were subsequently transferred to a burn center, and 992 (18.0%) were primarily presented and treated at a burn center. The annual number of patients decreased from 1199 to 1055 (- 12.4%). At all admission locations, a clear incidence peak was observed in children ≤ 4 years and in patients of ≥ 80 years. The number of ICU admissions for the entire population increased from 201 to 233 (33.0%). The mean HLOS for the entire population was 8 (SD 14) days per patient. This number remained stable over the years in all groups.

Conclusion: Half of all burn patients were admitted in a non-burn center and the other half in a burn center. The number and incidence rate of patients admitted with burns or inhalation trauma decreased over time. An increased incidence rate was found in children and elderly. The number of patients admitted to the ICU increased, whereas mean hospital length of stay remained stable.

Keywords: Burn center; Burns; Epidemiology; Non-burn center.

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Conflict of interest statement

Daan T. Van Yperen declares that he has no conflict of interest. Esther M.M. Van Lieshout declares that she has no conflict of interest. Michael H.J. Verhofstad declares that he has no conflict of interest. Cornelis H. Van der Vlies received a grant from the Dutch Burns Foundation (Beverwijk, The Netherlands; reference number WO/16.110).

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study flowchart
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Numbers and incidence rates per year and age category, for each type of injury. For all admission locations and types of injuries, this figure shows the number of admissions per year, the overall number of admissions per age group, and the overall incidence rate per age group
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Intensive care unit admission per year, age category, and type of injury. For all admission locations and types of injuries, this figure shows the ICU admission rate per year and the average ICU admission rate per age group
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Hospital length of stay, per year, age category, and type of injury. For all admission locations and types of injuries, this figure shows the hospital length of stay per case per year and the average hospital length of stay per age group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Van Yperen DT, Van Lieshout EMM, Nugteren LHT, Plaisier AC, Verhofstad MHJ, Van der Vlies CH, et al. Adherence to the Emergency Management of Severe Burns referral criteria in burn patients admitted to a hospital with or without a specialized burn center. Burns, in press February 2021. - PubMed
    1. Dokter J, Vloemans AF, Beerthuizen GI, Van der Vlies CH, Boxma H, Breederveld R, et al. Epidemiology and trends in severe burns in the Netherlands. Burns. 2014;40(7):1406–1414. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2014.03.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. The Dutch Burn Repository Group. Dutch Burn Repository R3; Short Report 2019. Association of Dutch Burn Centres, 2019 June 2020.
    1. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. www.aaam.org. Accessed 19 February, 2021.