Burns in the Emergency Department: A One-Year Single Center Analysis on 355 Cases

Abstract

Background: Burns are common reasons for emergency department presentations. While extensive or special burns require treatment in a specialized center, the majority are amenable to ambulatory treatment or hospitalization in a surgical ward. Romania has a national data collecting mechanism regarding all hospitalized patients, but there are no available statistics concerning non-hospitalized burn cases. This study aims to explore the amplitude of burn trauma by analyzing data from an Emergency Department at a major Romanian regional trauma center. Methods: This is a retrospective single-center 1-year study of all burn-related emergency department presentations at the trauma referral center for Romania's North-East region, in 2015. Included in the study were all cases of burns, indiscriminate of their etiology. Results: A total of 355 burn cases were analyzed. The average monthly number of cases was 29.58, with a maximum of 54 and a minimum of 18. There were 206 males and 149 females and 57.7% urban residents. Only 134 cases have been hospitalized during this period. Conclusions: Almost two-thirds of cases have not been hospitalized, thus missing from national statistics. Precise epidemiological data is paramount for a successful national burn management strategy. Creation of a national burn registry is suggested.