EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BURNS IN THE TEL-AVIV AREA

Between 1 August 1988 and 31 January 1992, 421 burn patients were admi tted to the Burn Unit at, Beilinson Medical Center. Name, age, sex, mo nth of the year, cause of burn, area and degree of burn and duration o f stay in hospital were recorded. Of these patients, 37 per cent were treated surgically and the remainder were treated conservatively. The male to female ratio was 2:1. Burns occurred most frequently in July a nd January, the peak average age was the first decade of life. The mos t frequent cause in children was scalding (domestic burns), and in adu lts open fires (work accidents). Patients treated by early tangential excision and skin grafting (204 operations on 157 patients) had a shor ter stay in hospital than conservatively treated patients. In accordan ce with others, we suggest that early surgery of burn injuries decreas es morbidity and mortality and leads to better aesthetic results and i mproved motor function. Secondly, burn injury can be prevented in chil dren and the elderly by increasing safety measures at home, and in adu lts by enforcing strict safety measures at work.