[A 5-year retrospective investigation of occupation-related burns in Zhenjiang area]

During the 5 years from June 1986 to June 1991, 221 patients were admitted to our department of burn surgery because of occupation-related burns. The average age was 31.2 years, and 83.4 per cent was male. Most of the patients (79.6 per cent) were referred to our hospital within 24 h of their injury. The most common etiology was flame (33.0 per cent). The mean body surface area of all 221 cases was 17.1 per cent, with a mean full-thickness component of 8.1 per cent.

inhalation injury 18 cases (8.1 per cent); sepsis 5 cases (2.3 per cent) confirmed by positive blood cultures at an average time of 10.2 days postburn, and the commonest organism was pseudomonas aeruginosa; pneumonia 5 cases (2.3 per cent). The mortality of these 221 cases was 1.8 per cent. The average time of stay in our hospital was 34.3 days. The total expenditure was about 740,000 Yuan. First aid on the spot and early correct treatment are stressed. It is essential to put prevention first, and the measures to lower the incidence of occupation-related burns were discussed to serve as a reference for labor protection department and occupation-related burns institute.