Burn Injuries – Contemporary and Previous Findings

Overview

The study compares findings in fatal burn injuries with respect to age, sex, cause of death,survival period, and complications leading to death. These findings were collected at Departmentof Forensic Medicine, 3rd Faculty of Medicine in Prague during the periods 1966–1974, 1976–1979,1981–1989 and 1993–2002.The number of occupational and domestic burn injuries has decreased in recent years. Thefollowing reflect some of the current trends and situations: Women are prevalent in the group ofpatients older than 65. Occupational injuries occurred a most exclusively in men with the averageage of 42.6 (median 38 years). Suicide rates have increased to 5.4% (with two thirds of themcommitted by men). The most common cause of injury was due to combustibles and explosives.Injuries caused by improper use of gas and electrical appliances have increased recently.Survival periods have been extended significantly. They have risen to 20.1 days in the age group15–64 years with burns of 57.3% of body surface area of 2nd ad 3rd degree in comparison with 16days in patients with burns of 48.4% of body surface area in 1976–1979. In patients over 65 yearswith burns of 33.9% of body surface area, the survival period has been extended to 16.8 days incomparison with 13.2 days in cases with total burn skin area of 24.8%.In 224 victims who died between 1993–2002, burn shock was diagnosed in 25.8% of the cases, sepsisin 30.3%, pneumonia in 54.4%, cardiac failure in 28.1%, and pulmonary embolism in 7.5%. Multipleorgan failure occurred predominantly in the age group 45–64 years representing 27.5% and myocardialinfarction in victims above 65 was 13.9%. Thrombo-embolic complications in cases wherethe victim was less than 44 years of age were extremely rare.

Key words:
occupational and domestic injuries – cause of injury – total burn skin area survivalperiod – complications and cause of death.