■ ABSTRACT
Introduction:
In Brazil, burns affect around one million people/year, the majority of whom are male. In addition to physical and emotional losses, there is an economic impact, with costs for the health system, compensation, and work disabilities. For these reasons, epidemiological studies are important to outline the profile of the most affected population, guiding the prevention of this condition.
Method:
Review the medical records of 398 burn victims admitted to Santa Casa de Santos from January 2016 to December 2019.
Results:
The main victims were young men in a domestic environment, by heated liquids, mostly causing second degree burns, treated within 24 hours, considered major burns, and admitted to the infirmary for up to two weeks. Approximately 90% were discharged with improvement, requiring only debridement and dressings.
Conclusion:
Our work agrees with most reviews regarding the prevalence of young, economically active males with accidentally heated liquids in their homes. Other studies highlighted children as the most affected, showing the need for policies for both age groups. Regarding hospitalization, the majority remained in the ward, with second-degree burns, with major burns prevailing, which leads to greater severity and costs. This data goes against some studies, which indicate second-degree burns as the main burn, with less than 10% of the body surface burned. In both this and most studies, most patients had a good outcome, without needing an Intensive Care Unit or surgical procedures, showing the importance of early debridement and care with dressings.
Keywords:
Burns; Analytical epidemiology; Reconstructive surgical procedures; Occlusive dressings; Accident prevention