BACKGROUND: Burns are lesions to organic tissues caused by external agents, resulting in destruction of the epithelial covering. This study aims to clarify the epidemiological profile of burns at Hospital João XXIII, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil - the largest center for burn care in Latin America. METHODS: A database of 687 patients admitted to Hospital João XXIII from February 2009 to July 2010 was created; it included patient demographics, burn etiology, surface and burned areas, intentionality, time of admission, and death profiles among other data. RESULTS: Most of the admitted patients were male (62.5%), and the mean age was 29 years old; 66% were from Belo Horizonte, and 34% were from the countryside of other states. Alcohol was the most frequent etiologic agent (34.4%), which was responsible for the most extensive burns (average burned body surface: 28%) and responsible for most deaths (52.7%). With regard to intentionality, 79% were accidental burns, followed by suicide attempts (12%) and aggression (9%). The average period of admission was 23.5 days with a mortality rate of 16.3%, which is decreasing progressively. During the monitoring period, 984 debridement and 584 grafting procedures were performed. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained data are similar to those available in the literature. They also evidence the importance of burn prevention and highlight the need to re-examine how flammable products are marketed in order to decrease the morbidity and mortality rates caused by burns, since most burns are accidental and caused by liquid alcohol.
Burns; Burn units; Ethanol
