Acute burns during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A one‐year retrospective study of 611 patients at a referral burn centre in northern Iran

Abstract

AbstractPatients with acute burns are more vulnerable to COVID‐19 because of physiologically weak immune systems. This study aimed to assess and compare individual characteristics, clinical features, and clinical outcomes of acute burn among COVID‐19 and non‐COVID‐19 patients. A retrospective study, with data collected from 611 acute burn patients with or without a COVID‐19 diagnosis referred to a burn centre in Iran. Data were collected from April 2020 to 2021. The mean age of acute burns patients with COVID‐19 was higher compared with acute burns patients with non‐COVID‐19 (47.82 vs. 32.59 years, P < .001). Acute burns occurred more frequently in COVID‐19 patients with comorbidities compared with non‐COVID‐19 patients (48.72% vs. 26.92%, P = .003). 58.97% of COVID‐19 patients and 55.42% of non‐COVID‐19 patients had grade II & III and II burns, respectively (P < .001). The mean total body surface area of the burn was higher in COVID‐19 patients compared with non‐COVID‐19 patients (32.69% vs. 16.22%, P < .001). Hospitalisation in the intensive care unit (ICU) was higher in COVID‐19 patients than in non‐COVID‐19 patients (76.92% vs. 15.73%, P < .001). Length of stay in hospital and ICU, the cost of hospitalisation, and waiting time for the operating room was higher in COVID‐19 patients compared with non‐COVID‐19 patients (15.30 vs. 3.88 days, P < .001; 9.61 vs. 0.75 days, P < .001; 30 430 628.717 vs. 10 219 192.44 rials, P = .011; 0.84 vs. 0.24 min, P < .001, respectively). Intubation and mortality in‐hospital were higher in COVID‐19 patients compared with non‐COVID‐19 patients (41.02% vs. 6.99%, P < .001; 35.90% vs. 6.12%, P < .001, respectively). Therefore, it is recommended that health managers and policymakers develop a care plan to provide high‐quality care to acute burns patients with COVID‐19, especially in low‐income countries.