Epidemiological study of burn admissions in a tertiary burn care center of Bihar, India

Background: Burn injury remains one of the biggest health concerns in the developing world and is a formidable public health issue in terms of mortality, morbidity, and permanent disability. Aims and objectives: To study the epidemiological aspects of burn admission in a tertiary care burn centre of Bihar. Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective hospital based observational study, being conducted at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), Patna from 1.1.2018 to 31.12.2018. All burn patients (n = 1431) admitted during this period were included in this study. Results: In our region, burn admissions showed 2 seasonal peaks (April, May) & (Nov, Dec). Females of age 20-39 years were most commonly affected. Accidental injuries were more common than suicidal & homicidal cases. Flame burn leaded the cause followed by electric burn. Most burn victims belonged to rural background & low socio-economic strata. Kitchen was the most common place & kerosene oil most common agent causing burn. Majority of patients presented late to our hospital i.e. after 4 hours. In our scenario, mortality of burn patients with total body surface area (TBSA) > 60% was 95%. Conclusion: Young females of rural background & low socio-economic strata are the commonest victim of burn injuries. Majority of cases are accidental thermal burn. Mortality rate is high in patients with TBSA > 60%. Appropriate preventive & therapeutic measures need to be taken in terms of social education & provision of quality healthcare to reduce the incidence & improve the survival outcome of burn patients.