Pattern of burn injuries in Thailand

This paper presents a review of the current status of burn injuries in Thailand with respect to incidence, causes, mortality and identification of management problems. This study analyses the treatment of 1078 burns patients seen over a period of 13 years from 1968 to 1980 at Chulalongkorn Hospital, Bangkok, combined with information made available through personal communication with surgeons at major hospitals in the Bangkok Metropolitan area. It needs to be emphasized that this study does not represent the complete and correct status of burn injuries for the whole country. However, it will demonstrate some aspects of burns and its problems in Thailand. The medical facilities in the Bangkok Metropolitan hospitals serve a population of about 10 million from Bangkok and nearby cities and this figure represents one fifth of the total population of Thailand.