[Mortality from burns in Iceland 1971-1992.]

A retrospective study was made on mortality due to burn injuries in Iceland 1971-1992. Data was obtained from the Bureau of Statistics, the Icelandic University Hospital and Department of Forensic Medicine. Analyzed were etiology, sex and age distribution, associated risk factors and mortality rate. In addition there were analyzed wound size and depth, complications and cause of death for patients admitted to the Burn Unit at the University Hospital. Mortality Model was used to calculate probability of death. Following burn injury 46 died, the overall mortality rate was 0.9/100,000 persons per year, the mortality rate had decreased and was 0.5/ 100,000 persons during 1983-92. Admitted to the University Hospital were 27. The cause of death was due to complications of the burn injury, except in two cases where death was due to preexisting disease and they had the lowest probability of death. Probability of death over 0.45 had 80 percent and 60 percent over 0.8. Only one patient died the last 10 years with probability of death lower than 0.8. Mortality due to burns has decreased over the last decade and later causes of death have proportionally increased. Calculated probability of death was very high and it is therefore assumed that the result of treatment was acceptable.