Clinical and epidemiological aspects of burned patients hospitalized in a teaching hospital

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to characterize burned patients according to epidemiological and clinical variables and identify the treatments, invasive procedures and complications. This is a retrospective, descriptive and quantitative study. The sample consisted of 138 burned patients hospitalized in a teaching hospital from January 2003 to December 2007, in Uberaba-MG. Of the 138 hospitalized patients, 98 (71.0%) were male, and the average age was 26.1 years. The average length of stay was 16.2 days; 93 (67.4%) of the burns were caused by accidents and the main cause (68; 49.3%) was an open flame. The average burned body surface was 20.8% and most (122; 88.4%) had second degree burns. The most common topic treatment (93; 67.4%) was silver sulfadiazine. Forty-seven (34.0%) patients had indwelling catheters; 30 (21.7%) underwent tissue transplantation, and 28 (20.3%) underwent debridement; the lesions in 14 (10.1%) patients became infected.