EPIDEMIOLOGIC SURVEY OF BURNS TREATED IN ANKARA, TURKEY AND DESIRABLEBURN-PREVENTION STRATEGIES

From 1 January 1979 to 31 December 1993, 1109 patients were admitted t o our burn unit located at Hacettepe University. Of the patients, 638 (57.5 per cent) were children (under the age of 16 years). The male to female ratio was 1.4:1 in children, and was approximately 2.6: 1 for patients over 16 years of age. Of the 638 paediatric patients, 67 (10. 5 per cent) sustained electrical burns. The causes of injury in the re maining 571 cases (89.5 per cent) were hot liquids in 379 (66.4 per ce nt of the non-electrical burns), flame in 190 (33.3 per cent) and cont act burns in two (0.3 per cent). Of the scalds, 296 (78.1 per cent of the scalds), 52 (13.7 per cent), 22 (5.8 per cent) and nine (2.4 per c ent) were caused by hot water, milk meal and oil respectively. Of the flame barns, 21 (11.1 per cent) were due to LPG explosions. Of the 471 adult patients (over 16 years), 159 (33.8 per cent) were injured by e lectricity. The causes of non-electrical burn injuries were: hot liqui d in 25, flame in 274, chemical agents in four, contact in four, and o ther causes in four. Although our centre is located in Central Anatoli a, 41.8 per cent of all patients were referred from the other sir regi ons of Turkey. Of the 1109 inpatients, 645 (58.2 per cent) were injure d in Central Anatolia, 279 (25.2 per cent) in the Black Sea Region, 55 (5.0 percent) in the Mediterranean Region, 18 (1.6 per cent) in the M armara Region, 34 (3.1 per cent) in the Aegean Region, 52 (4.7 per cen t) in Southeastern Anatolia and 26 (2.3 per cent) in Eastern Anatolia. Approximately two-thirds of the patients (419) required one or more s urgical interventions, including debridement and grafting, as well as amputation. The most important early complications were acute renal fa ilure (148 patients - 13.3 per cent), sepsis (660 patients 59.5 per ce nt) and gastrointestinal haemorrhage (seven patients - 0.6 per cent). The overall mortality rate was 34.4 per cent. The epidemiological patt ern of the burns showed that emergency measures should be taken to pre vent scalding accidents to children throughout the country, and for el ectrical burns in adults, particularly those living in the Black Sea R egion. In establishing, implementing and directing prevention programm es, regional differences should be taken into consideration.