Epidemiology of 1974 burn patients at a major burn center in Beijing: a nine-year study

To date, little epidemiological data are available on burns in China. This study describes the characteristics of burn patients admitted to a major burn center in Beijing to show trends in admission and outcomes in burned patients to share information about the current state of care for burned patients in our burn center. A retrospective study on 1974 burn patients admitted to Jishuitan Hospital in Beijing was conducted during the 9-year period from 2000 to 2008, and data were collected on age, gender, TBSA, etiology, length of hospital stay, mortality, and inhalation injury. The male:female ratio of the burn population was 2.41:1 and did not differ significantly over the study period (P > .05). The mean age of admission was 36 ± 16.3 years, and most patients were 30 to 39 years old (24.0%) or 20 to 29 years old (23.8%). The mean TBSA of burn was 14.7 ± 3.4%, ranging from 1 to 100%, and the mean size/age did not change significantly over the course of the study (P > .05). The incidence in burn injury decreased over the study period (P < .05). The most common cause of burn was flame (67.9%) followed by electrical (16.1%) and scald (9.5%). The mean length of hospital stay was 33.2 ± 3.5 days, extending from 1 to 413 days, and it did not differ significantly over the study period (P > .05). The mortality and inhalation injury rate were 2.8 and 6.9%, respectively. Annual mortality rate did not differ significantly over the study period (P > .05). This retrospective review of the specific epidemiological features of burn patients will provide important information for the development of proper control programs to reduce the incidence of burns and burn-related deaths.