Epidemiological study of patients hospitalized in the burn care unit of the Vila Penteado General Hospital - São Paulo

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Burns are injuries with major morbidity and mortality and are a considerable burden on the government. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological profile of patients admitted to the burn care unit (BCU) of the Vila Penteado General Hospital (HGVP/SP).

Method:

The data analyzed were derived from patient admissions to the BCU of the HGVP, from January 2012 to July 2013, using the following variables: sex, age, cause and extent of the burn, time between burn/admission, length of stay, and patient’s progress.

Results:

The majority of admissions were observed in men (65.8%). There was a greater percentage of burn patients in the adult population (80%). Fire was the main cause of injury (58.5%), followed by scalding (19.5%); 62% of burns occurred at home and 11.5% at work. Most victims (56.1%) had medium and large burns, and 46.3% of the patients were admitted in the first 24 hours after a burn. A length of stay of less than 15 days was most common (55.4%). The hospital discharge rate was 83% with a death rate of 17%.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrated that the epidemiological profile for burns and admissions to the BCU of the HGVP was consistent with the great majority of data from other specialty centers, and emphasizes the importance of epidemiological studies on prevention.

Keywords:
Burns; Epidemiology; Burn Unit