Burn injury characteristics: findings from Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance Study.

Publication Type	Academic Article
Authors	Siddiqui E, Zia N, Feroze A, Awan S, Ali A, Razzak J, Hyder A, Latif A
Journal	BMC Emerg Med
Volume	15 Suppl 2
Issue	Suppl 2
Pagination	S5
Date Published	12/11/2015
ISSN	1471-227X
Keywords	Burns, Emergency Service, Hospital
Abstract	BACKGROUND: Burn injury is an important yet under-researched area in Pakistan. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics and associated outcomes of burn injury patients presenting to major emergency departments in Pakistan. METHODS: Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance (Pak-NEDS) was a pilot active surveillance conducted between November 2010 and March 2011. Information related to patient demographics, mode of arrival, cause of burn injury, and outcomes was analyzed for this paper. Data were entered using Epi Info and analyzed using SPSS v.20. Ethical approval was obtained from all participating sites. RESULTS: There were 403 burn injury patients in Pak-NEDS, with a male to female ratio 2:1. About 48.9% of the burn injury patients (n = 199) were between 10 - 29 years of age. There was no statistically significant difference between unintentional and intentional burn injury patients except for body part injured (p-value 0.004) and ED disposition (p-value 0.025). Among 21 patients who died, most were between 40 - 49 years of age (61.9%) and suffered from fire burns (81%). CONCLUSION: Burn injuries are a burden on emergency rooms in Pakistan. We were able to demonstrate the significant burden of burn injuries that is not addressed by specialized burn centers.
DOI	10.1186/1471-227X-15-S2-S5
PubMed ID	26692165
PubMed Central ID	PMC4682377