Demographic profile and trend in burn injury: A clinical study in South Karnataka

ABSTRACT Introduction: Burns are a common form of trauma in life, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Burns can affect anyone, anywhere, and anytime. Most burn injuries are brought on by heat from hot liquids, solids, or fire, but they can also be caused by friction, cold, heat, radiation, chemicals, or electric sources. Energy transfer promotes tissue destruction in all burn injuries, and various causes can be linked to various physiological and pathological reactions. Burn injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and disability, necessitating ongoing care and treatment, which places a significant financial and social strain on society. Aim of the Study: The aim of the study was to assess the demographic profile of patients getting admitted with burns, depth of burns, etiology of burns, morbidity and mortality of burn patients, type of treatment provided in a tertiary care center in South Karnataka, to offer trustworthy reference information and opinions for local burn injury prevention and awareness. Materials and Methods: From January 2019 to December 2023, a retrospective observational study was carried out at the burn unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital in South Karnataka, India. The Z-test and Microsoft Excel were used to evaluate and analyze patient data related to burns, including age, sex, etiology, manner of burn injury, percentage of body surface area involved, length of hospital stay, number of patients undergoing surgical care, discharge, and mortality. Results: The age group involved was mostly from 0 to 10 years and accounted for 27.4%. Almost equal representation in male and female sex. The cause of burns was mostly thermal burns. Most common was second-degree burns accounting for 55.3%. Etiology being accidental thermal burns accounting for 87.3%. There is a significant relation between age and prognosis. As age increases, the prognosis of the patient reduces. As age increases, complications increase. The most common complication being sepsis and respiratory distress followed by cardiac arrest, which was statistically significant. As the degree of burns increases, cases required more surgical intervention and ventilator support. As the degree of burns increases, more cases expired. Male gender has better prognosis compared to female gender following burn injury, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: As age increases, the prognosis of the patient reduces. As age increases, complications increase. The most common complication being sepsis and respiratory distress followed by cardiac arrest. As the degree of burns increases, cases required more surgical intervention and ventilator support. As the degree of burns increases, more cases expired. Male gender has a better prognosis compared to female gender following burn injury. As we understand local reliable data, we will be able to prevent accidental burn injury by guiding people. Also able to provide reliable data for treatment purpose.