THE LAST 10 YEARS IN A BURN CENTER IN ANKARA, TURKEY - AN ANALYSIS OF5264 CASES

This is a retrospective study analysing 5264 patients treated in the b urn centre at Gulhane Military Medical Academy from 1 January 1986 to 31 December 1995. Our burn centre is nor only the first, but one of th e best established and supported in Turkey. Our present study has the largest patient group of other previously published studies from Turke y. Of the total patients studied, 4464 patients had minor burns and we re treated on an outpatient basis and 800 patients had moderate to maj or burns. Although our centre is in a military area in Ankara, only 10 47 (20 per cent) patients were military personnel and the military-rel ated burn causes comprised only 6 per cent of the total. The remaining 4217 (80 per cent of the total patients) were civilians. Flame injuri es were also more frequent in military patients than civilians. Minor burns were most common in the age group 0-10 years old (40 per cent) a nd moderate to major bums in the age group 21-30 years (54 per cent). Scalds were the main cause of paediatric bums. Male patients were domi nant. The overall mortality among inpatients was 18.2 per cent and mea n total body surface area (TBSA) was 57.6 per cent in patients who die d. 134 patients demonstrated inhalation injury and 82 per cent of thes e patients died. The epidemiological pattern of our patients is simila r to that in other studies from developed countries, although some eth nic causative factors could be found. Our study indicates that emergen cy measures should be taken to prevent flame injuries at military barr acks and industrial workplaces and scalding accidents to children at h ome and throughout the country. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd for ISBI . All rights reserved.