Pattern of burn injury among patients admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Jharkhand

Abstract

Background: Burn despite being easily preventable is a critical health problem worldwide. With effective managements there is decline in burn cases in developed countries but trend is still rising in developing countries like India. This study was conducted to know the socio-demographic profile and pattern of burn injury in patients admitted in burn unit of tertiary care hospital.Methods: A hospital based cross sectional study was conducted for a period of six months using semi-structured questionnaire for data collection. The patient or accompanying person was interviewed after taking consent. Clinical assessment was done to find% of total body surface area (TBSA) involved and most severely affected body part.Results: A total of 123 patients were admitted in burn unit. Female (72.3%) predominance was found with most common age group being 21-40 years. Majority was Hindus (72.4%), residing in rural area (79.7%) and married (60.2%). Accidental burn was in 92.7%, mostly occurring at home (91%). Flame burn was common in female and electric burn in male. Burn injury mostly involved up to 30% of TBSA (44.7%) with upper limb (39%) most severely injured. Only 35% were admitted on the same day of injury. Infection (57.7%) and amputation (7.3%) were two common complications. There were 12 (9.8%) deaths during the study period.Conclusions: Most vulnerable were female with flame burn due to unsafe cooking practices. Infection was the most common complication. Death was more in those who delayed admission in hospitals.