Burn Care Unit of São Paulo Federal University: an epidemiological profile

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Burns constitute severe trauma and account for 100,000 hospital visits per year in Brazil. Burns units are essential for the treatment of these patients and the generation of knowledge on this subject.

Method:

This study established the annual profile of burn unit attendance between 2009 and 2012. During these years of activity, we compared the number of hospitalized patients, patient origin, burn degree, age, burn body surface area, days of hospitalization, types of surgical procedures, agents, and mortality. Possible combinations were evaluated with the chi-square test.

Results:

A total of 321 patients were hospitalized. In 2009, 70% of the patients presented secon-degree burns; in 2012, 66% of the patients presented third-degree burns. In 2009, 37% of the patients were referred to other services; in 2012, 72% were referred. The average patient age was 29 years old in 2009 and 44 years old in 2012. Burn body surface was 13% in 2009 and 8% in 2012. Hospitalization time increased from 11 to 21 days. A total of 50 surgical procedures were performed in 2009, while 103 were performed in 2012. Flammable liquids were the most commonly observed causal agents. The overall mortality rate decreased from 7% to 4% over the study period.

Conclusion:

There was an increase in the number of referred and complex patients with higher degree burns who required longer hospital stays and a greater number of procedures over the years. The decreased mortality rate reflected the technical improvement of the unit that was established as a regional reference for the treatment of burn victims.

Keywords:
Burns; Burn unit; Measures in epidemiology