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Eight years experience of a regional burns unit in Saudi Arabia: clinical and epidemiological aspects
S. Al-Shlash , N. D. Warnasuriya , Z. Al Shareef , P. Filobbos , E. Sarkans and S. Al Dusari
North West Armed Forces Hospital Programme, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Accepted 1 November 1995
Abstract
A refrospective analysis of 435 consecutive admissions to a regional burns unit over an 8-year period is presented. The majority were domestic accidents, while a few were suicidal and two were due to child abuse. Scalds were commoner than flame burns, 70.6 per cent were children under 12 years, 12.4 per cent had > 40 per cent TBSA affected, 66.9 per cent were deep partial or full thickness burns, 24.4 per cent had signs of shock on admission, 13.6 per cent had smoke inhalation injury. In spile of these known adverse factors the overall outcome was satisfactory, with a case fatality rate of 7.4 per cent and a residual disability rate of 10.8 per cent. Good initial resuscitation, a low infection rate (18.4 per cent) and the ready availability of uppropriate surgical intervention (35.6 per cent), with good intensive care support, could account for the satisfactory outcome.
Corresponding author. Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Saud Al-Shlash, North West Armed Forces Hospital, PO Box 100, Tabuk, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Burns
Volume 22, Issue 5, August 1996, Pages 376-380
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