EPIDEMIOLOGIC DATA AND MORTALITY-RATE OF PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED WITH BURNS IN BRAZIL

This retrospective analysis of burn patients in a University Hospital in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was carried out to characterize thi s population and to identify the factors that affect the mortality rat e. All patients hospitalized from January 1990 to April 1995 (n = 229, 3.6 patients/month) and who terminated treatment were included. Of th ese, 80.8% (185 patients) were hospitalized within 24 h of the burn. O ccupational and/or domestic accidents were responsible for most of the burns (78.6%), which were mainly caused by a direct flame (71.2%), wi th alcohol being the flammable fluid most frequently used. The average patient treated at the center was a male of 9 years of age or less wi th 20-40% burned body surface, who received care within 24 h after suf fering an accidental alcohol burn and who was hospitalized for less th an or equal to 30 days. The mortality rate was 18.8% for all patients and increased with burned body surface and age, and for suicide patien ts. Suicide attempts for all patients 118 pears were the cause of 46.5 % (20/43) of the burns involving women and of 8.9% (8/90) of the burns involving men. The mortality rate was significantly higher for self-i nflicted burns (42.9%) than for accidental burns (20.2%). (C) 1998 Els evier Science Ltd for ISBI. All rights reserved.