Epidemiology of Burn Wounds Arriving to a Level 1 Trauma Center in Israel

Abstract

Abstract Burn injuries have grave consequences for patients and impose a heavy economic burden on healthcare services. Studies on the epidemiology of burn injury in Israel are sparse and outdated, and improved understanding of current trends can help experts plan prevention campaigns and design effective treatment paradigms. This study sought to assess the background, clinical, and treatment characteristics of adult patients admitted with burn injury to a level 1 trauma center in Israel in 2005 to 2017. Data were retrospectively retrieved from the hard copy and electronic files as follows: patient sex and age; burn type, degree, and etiology; percentage total BSA (%TBSA) affected; and type of treatment and length of hospital stay (LOS). The cohort included 734 patients of mean age 41.79 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1.8:1. Thermal factors, particularly hot liquids, were the most common cause; second-degree burns were the most common. Mean %TBSA was 5.39%; mean LOS was 11.81 days; and mean LOS/%TBSA was 4.65. Advanced dressings alone yielded satisfactory outcome in 74.2% of patients. The relatively younger patient age and male predominance of our cohort were in line with published findings. The LOS was similar to previous studies in Israel but lower than in Europe. The LOS/%TBSA was higher than in the literature, with a decrease over time suggesting an increased effectiveness of treatment. There appears to be a decline in the rate of surgery for burn injury and increased expertise in the use of advanced dressings. National prevention campaigns should focus on scalds rather than flame-induced burns.