EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BURN INJ URIES: STUDY OF A DECADE IN THE J.M. BENGOA HOSPITAL AT SANARE-LARA IN VENEZUELA BETWEEN 2000-2009

Abstract

Objective: Burn injuries are an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and in our country. According to the Geneva Association, in 2006 the country with the biggest number of fire related deaths was United States with 3550 deaths, fallow by Japan, France and Poland1. In 2007 there were 323 fire related deaths in Venezuela.2 In 2008 at the Lara State there were 10 deceases and in the Andrés Eloy Blanco Municipality where Sanare belongs there were no fire or burn deaths related3. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the epidemiological behavior for over a decade to hopefully contribute to the management of the burn patient in the future. Patients and method: we analyzed 60 medical charts from patients with burn diagnosis at the moment of the admission and discharge in the J.M. Bengoa Hospital between 2000-2009. We collected information such as: sex, age, burn depth, percentage of total body surface compromise according to Lund and Browder
and the degree of severity by the American Burn Association. Results: 52% of the sample was male, and 48% female. The average age was 14,16 years old with a range between 0,5 years and 70 years. The most common place of occurrence was the kitchen. 98% of the burn injuries were by a physical agent, among which the most frequent one was hot water. 90% of the lesions were second-degree burns. 61% of the patients had a severe degree by ABA. 71,6% of the patients received prophylactic crystalline penicillin. Conclusion: The epidemiological study of burn injuries for a long period of time contributes with opportune data for the improved management of the burn patient in the future.