Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a widely used environment-friendly fuel. Previous studies have shown an increasing number of LPG-related burns. Our study was designed to evaluate the epidemiologic pattern of these injuries and provide recommendations for burn prevention. This retrospective study included all patients with LPG-related burns from eight burn centers in Zhejiang Province, China between 2011 and 2015. Database variables included patient demographics, accident characteristics, and injury characteristics. The association between different categorical variables was identified using the chi-square test. And the association between two or more means of quantitative variables was analyzed by the one-way analysis of variance or t-test. A total of 1898 patients were included, 47.31% were males and 52.69% were females. The predominant age group was 31 to 70 years (74.50%), and the majority were poorly educated and the incidence peaked from June to September. The most common place of occurrence was home (74.08%) and gas leak (96.52%) was the most common cause. The four limbs (43.33%) were the most frequently affected areas; the mean burn area was 25.19 ± 20.97% of the total body surface area and most patients (46.89%) suffered from moderate burns. The mean length of hospital stay was 17.66 ± 16.55 days and the majority of patients (89.36%) recovered with a 0.84% mortality rate. Our findings reflected that the increase in incidence rate was alarming, and the causes resulting in LPG-related burns have not gained much attention yet. Therefore, this calls for simple but strict measures aiming at each hazardous step during the use of LPG to prevent these burn injuries.

A Retrospective Multicenter Study of 1898 Liquefied Petroleum Gas-Related Burn Patients in Eastern China From 2011 to 2015.

Background Pediatric burns of all the ages are prevalent worldwide, posing a severe health risk to children. This study aims to examine pediatric burns' clinical characteristics and epidemiology in central China. Methods The pediatric patients of the Burn Research Center, Department of the First People's Hospital of Zhengzhou City from 2013 to 2019 were retrospectively studied and the relevant data were collected from the hospitalized medical records [e.g., demographic, etiology, length of stay (LOS), age, gender, burn area and depth, number of surgeries, cost, and outcome]. Results A total of 5,569 pediatric burn patients were included, accounting for 43.9% of the total burn population. Electric burns represented a relatively small proportion (1.17%) but were more likely to lead to disabilities or death than scalds (90.63%) and flames (5.12%). The median age was 2 years [interquartile range (IQR): 1–4] and the boys/girls ratio ranged from 1.3:1 to 1.6:1. The most commonly burnt anatomic sites were the limbs (38.3%), with a median %TBSA (total body surface area) of 6 (IQR: 4–10). The complications of shock and pneumonia accounted for 7.6 and 19.2%, respectively. The peak months of pediatric burns included January, May, and August and the rural/urban ratio reached 1.61:1. The percentage of burn wounds treated surgically increased considerably from 2013 to 2019 (3.8 vs. 37.8%). The median hospital LOS was 15 days (IQR: 8–28 days), with the three high-risk factors (e.g., more surgeries, more %TBSA, full-thickness skin burns). The median cost of hospitalization was 1,511 USD (IQR: 848–2,648 USD) and the main risk factors consisted of full-thickness burns, more %TBSA, longer LOS, and more surgical procedures. Among all the patients, LA50 was 78.63% (95% CI = 75.12–83.45) and the overall mortality reached 0.1% since seven deaths were recorded. Conclusion Scalds, flames, contact, and chemicals are the main causes of burns among children aged 1–5 years in central China. Accordingly, various prevention strategies should be employed depending upon the cause of the burn.

Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of 5,569 Pediatric Burns in Central China From 2013 to 2019

Seasonal impact in admissions and burn profiles in a desert burn unit

Epidemiology and outcome analysis of 1359 intensive care burn patients: A 14-year retrospective study in a major burn center.

OBJECTIVE In low income countries, incidence of burns is high and severe burns are frequently managed at peripheral facilities. Outcome after burn care is poorly studied although it might help identify risk-group and improve treatment strategies. This study aimed to study factors associated with in-hospital outcomes in a burn cohort in the Democratic Republic of Congo. METHODS In this retrospective study we included burn patients admitted to the surgical department at the Hopital Provincial General de Reference de Bukavu between January 2013 and December 2018. Differences between groups were tested using χ2 test or Fisher's exact tests or Wilcoxon rank sum test, as appropriate. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the effect of patients and of burn characteristics on in-hospital mortality, prolongated length of stay (=LOS≥25days) and occurrence of complications. RESULTS The study population consisted of 100 patients, mainly young male with rural origin, moderate sized but deep burns. Of them, 46 developed complications, 12 died. Median LOS was 25 days (IQR: 15-42). In-hospital death was independently associated with Total Burn Surface Area percentage "TBSA%" (OR=3.96; 95% CI=1.67-9.40) and Full thickness Burns "FTB" (10.68; 1.34-84.74); prolongated LOS with FTB (3.35; 1.07-10.49), and complication with rural origin (5.84; 1.51-22.53), TBSA% (3.96; 1.67-9.40), FTB (4.08; 1.19-14.00) and burns on multiple sites (4.38; 1.38-13.86). CONCLUSION In-hospital death was associated with TBSA% and FTB, prolongated LOS with FTB, and complication with burns characteristics and rural origin of the patients. Further studies are necessary to investigate the effect of provided burn care on outcomes.

Juliana Martins Sousa

Papers

Seasonal Impact in Burn Profiles in a Dedicated Burn Unit