Epidemiology and referral patterns of burns admitted to the Burns Centre at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, Durban

RationaleThe epidemiology, referral patterns and outcome of patients admitted to a tertiary burns unit in southern Africa were reviewed.Materials and methodsThe charts of all patients with thermal injury presenting to the Burns Centre at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH) between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2010 were reviewed. Information collected included age, gender, past medical history, cause of burn, size of burn, presence of inhalation injury, time before admission, time to excision, length of hospital stay, complications and mortality.FindingsFour hundred and sixty two patients were admitted, 296 (58%) children and 193 (42%) adults. The female–male ratio was 1:1.13. The mean total body surface area (TBSA) burned was 12% (interquartile range 8–25%) for children and 18% (interquartile range 10–35%) for adults. Common causes for the burns were in children: hot liquids (71%) and open flame (24%). Major causes in adults were: open fire (68%) and hot liquids (25%). Epilepsy was a contributing factor in 12.7%. Inhalation injury was seen in 13.6% of adults and 14.3% of children with a flame burn.Forty-four percent of referrals from general surgical units were for burns <30% in adults, and 30% for burns <10% in children. More than one in four patients was referred between 1 and 6 weeks post-injury.Overall mortality was 9.1% (5.7% in children and 15.1% in adults). Complications occurred in 21.6% of children and 36.7% in adults, the most common being lung complications such as ARDS and infection, severe sepsis, skin graft failure and contractures. The length of stay was 1 day/% TBSA burn for all burns in children and for burns between 10 and 49% in adults.ConclusionsThe epidemiology and outcome of severe burns referred to the Burns Centre at IALCH is similar to those in other units in Africa. The management and referral of burns patients by other hospitals are inappropriate in a significant number of patients.