Five-year epidemiological study of burn patients admitted in burns care unit, Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India

Abstract

Introduction: Burn injury remains one of the biggest health concerns in the developing world and is a formidable public health issue in terms of mortality, morbidity, and permanent disability. The incidence of burn injuries is found all over India; detailed epidemiological studies from the eastern part of the country are sparse. Materials and Methods: We present an epidemiological study form the burn care unit (BCU) of Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India of a period of 5 years from January 2009 to December 2013. Results: A total of 1975 burn patients were admitted in the BCU in this 5-year period. The mean age of all the patients included in the study was 29.16 years. There was a slight female predominance in this 5-year period. The overall male to female ratio was 1:1.05. The mean percentage total body surface area (TBSA) burn of all the patients over the period of 5 years was 42.5%. Flame burns were the most common form of burn, accounting for 65.16% of all burns. The overall mortality of the patients over 5 years was 40.8%. If the data are further classified, the overall mortality of patients up to 30% burns was 3.45%, with 30-60% burns was 42.3%, and above 60% burns was 91.8%. Conclusion: Analysis of the 5-year data fairly represents the epidemiological pattern of burns in this region, which has never been studied before and this study can serve as a pilot study for any burn care-related development in this region.