Management outcome and associated factors in burn injuries with and without facial involvement in a Nigerian...

There is a high potential for the occurrence of burns in Nigeria, yet very little is known about factors that are associated with management outcomes (death/survivorship) in burns affecting facial or other body areas among Nigerian populations. This study aimed at determining patterns of occurrences of burn injuries with and without facial involvement and the factors that are associated with mortality. A standardized data-collection instrument was designed and used to extract relevant information about burn patients that were seen at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, between 1998 and 2003. During the study period, fuel-related flames constituted the leading type of agent in both facial (71.1%) and nonfacial involved burns (65.3%). There was no significant difference in the incidence of contracture and inhalation injury between burns with facial involvement and burns without facial involvement, but cases of facial involvement have significantly lower incidences of wound infections. No significant difference was seen in the incidence of mortality between burns with facial involvement (31.6 %) and burns without facial involvement (30.7%). Significant bivariate correlates for mortality were age, flame as the agent of burns, depth of the burns and wound infections. Two correlates remained significant in the multivariate analysis (binary logistic regression): BSA involved and wound infection.