[An assessment of patients hospitalized for burn injuries]

To study the causes of burn injuries and the nature of their medical treatment, we investigated the medical histories of hospitalized patients admitted to the burn center of Taipei City Ho-Ping Hospital from June 6, 1983 to June 6, 1987. Additionally, a phone interview follow-up on recovery conditions was made. Among the 300 patients admitted, the majority (53.7%) were burned by scalding water, while fire was the second most common cause of burns. The rate of incidence was highest for those aged 0-4 years, and 90% of this age group were victims of scalding. For all age groups, 78.9% of the burns resulted from negligence, with most accidents occurring in a kitchen, factory or workplace, or a bathroom. Men's burns were more severe than women's burns on average. Severe fire burns constituted half of the cases. The majority of the burns affected the front of the limbs, torso, head and neck. The degree of the burns was mixed, but second degree burns were most prominent (36%). Sixty percent of the patients were burned over less than 10% of their body surface. Seasonality was not evident, but most cases occurred between noon and eight o'clock in the evening. Patients with electric burns had the longest hospital stays, averaging 30.5 days, while those burned by scalding had the shortest (16 days). Those with severe burns average 26.5 days. Half (50.7%) of the patients recovered by the time they left the hospital. Examining the death rate by type of burn, we found that the death rate for chemical burns was the highest (10.34%), while the rate was lowest for scalding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)