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Epidemiology and mortality of burns in a general hospital of Eastern Sri Lanka.

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dc.contributor Médecins Sans Frontières, Paris, France. veronique.laloe@bigfoot.com
dc.creator Laloë, V
dc.date 2002-12
dc.date.accessioned 2017-01-31T07:10:53Z
dc.date.available 2017-01-31T07:10:53Z
dc.identifier Epidemiology and mortality of burns in a general hospital of Eastern Sri Lanka. 2002, 28 (8):778-81notBurns
dc.identifier 0305-4179
dc.identifier 12464477
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/10144/26914
dc.identifier http://fieldresearch.msf.org/msf/handle/10144/26914
dc.identifier Burns : Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
dc.identifier.uri http://dspace.mediu.edu.my:8181/xmlui/handle/10144/26914
dc.description This 2-year prospective study examined the epidemiology and mortality of 345 patients admitted with burn injuries. Sixty-four percent of all burns were accidental in nature and at least 25% were self-inflicted. The rest were due to assaults or had a doubtful cause. The median age was 22 years. Forty-one percent of the accidents were due to the fall of a homemade kerosene bottle lamp. The main cause was flames, followed by scalds. Females outnumbered males in all categories of burns except cases of assault, and suffered from a higher mortality. Most at risk of accidental burns were children between 1 and 4 years, who suffered primarily from scalds. Self-inflicted burns were most common among women aged 20-29 years. The overall median total body surface area (TBSA) burned was 16%. Self-inflicted and 'doubtful' burns were much more extensive and more often fatal than accidental ones. The overall mortality rate was 27%. Burns involving more than 50% of the body surface area were invariably fatal. Mortality was highest in the elderly and in the 20-29 years age group. Burns were the first single cause of mortality in the surgical wards. The case is made for the establishment of more Burns Units.
dc.language en
dc.publisher Elsevier
dc.relation http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03054179
dc.rights Archived on this site by kind permission and copyright of 2002 by Elsevier
dc.title Epidemiology and mortality of burns in a general hospital of Eastern Sri Lanka.


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