Abstract

Burn injuries are one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide. Although the overall incidence of burns and burn-related mortality is declining, these factors have not been analysed in our population for 25 years. The aim of this study has been to determine whether the epidemiological profile of patients hospitalized for burns has changed over the past 25 years. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalised between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2018 with a primary diagnosis of burns. The incidence of burns in our setting was 3.68/105 population. Most patients admitted for burns were men (61%), aged between 35 and 45 years (16.8%), followed by children aged between 0 and 4 years (12.4%). Scalding was the most prevalent mechanism of injury, and the region most frequently affected was the hands. The mean burned total body surface (TBSA) area was 8.3%, and the proportion of severely burned patients was 9.7%. Obesity was the most prevalent comorbidity (39.5%). The median length of stay was 1.8 days. The most frequent in-hospital complications were sepsis (16.6%), acute kidney injury (7.9%), and cardiovascular complications (5.9%). Risk factors for mortality were advanced age, high abbreviated burn severity index score, smoke inhalation, existing cardiovascular disease full-thickness burn, and high percentage of burned TBSA. Overall mortality was 4.3%. Multi-organ failure was the most frequent cause of death, with an incidence of 49.5%. The population has aged over the 25 years since the previous study, and the number of comorbidities has increased. The incidence and severity of burns, and the percentage of burned TBSA have all decreased, with scalding being the most prevalent mechanism of injury. The clinical presentation and evolution of burns differs between children and adults. Risk factors for mortality were advanced age, smoke inhalation, existing cardiovascular disease, full-thickness burn, and high percentage of burned TBSA.

Details

Title
Epidemiology and mortality in patients hospitalized for burns in Catalonia, Spain
Author
Abarca, L. 1 ; Guilabert, P. 2 ; Martin, N. 3 ; Usúa, G. 1 ; Barret, Juan P. 4 ; Colomina, Maria J. 5 

 Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Anesthesia and Critical Care Department, Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.411083.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0675 8654) 
 Hospital Universitari Alicante, Anesthesia and Critical Care Department, Alicante, Spain (GRID:grid.411086.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 8875 8879) 
 Hospital Clinic, Anesthesia and Critical Care Department, Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.410458.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9635 9413) 
 Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Plastic Surgery Department and Burn Centre, Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.411083.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0675 8654) 
 Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Clinic, Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.411129.e) (ISNI:0000 0000 8836 0780) 
Pages
14364
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2859762308
Copyright
© Springer Nature Limited 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.