Epidemiology of burn injuries in the Burn Center

Özet

Objective: The aim of the present study is to determine the epidemiology of burns by assessing demographic features, etiology, findings and burn-related factors in burn-injured patients followed-up in a burn center located in the Marmara Region, the most densely pop- ulated and industrialized geographical area of Turkey. Methods: Medical records of 630 in-patients were examined in the burn treatment center. The data relating to the demographic characteristics of patients, burn etiology, percentage of the burned total body surface area , burn degree, burn site, burn agent, place of occurrence, etc. were evaluated. Results: The mean age of 630 in-patients was 27.5±2.18 years. 29.8% of the patients were female, 70.2% were male. The most common causes of burns were respectively; scald (hot water, tea, milk) (37.2%), flame (31.9%), electrical (18.4%) and scald + flame + chemical (11.7%). The average percentage of burned area in the patients was found to be 23.3%.. In- halation burn was reported in 54 cases (8.9%) and co-morbid multiple trauma was reported in 31 cases. Conclusion: Burn is a trauma with serious physical and psychological consequences. Al- though considerable progress has been achieved in burn therapy, attempts for preventing burns and focusing on raising awareness of individuals seem to be more efficient and cheape