Longitudinal Evaluation of Hospitalized Burn Patients in Sivas City Center for Six Months and Comparison with a Previously Held Community-based Survey

Objective: This study was designed to longitudinally demonstrate the rate and epidemiology of hospitalized burn patients in Sivas city center within 6 months. The second aim was to compare the results of the current study with those of a previously held community-based survey in the same region. Material and Methods: Patients who were hospitalized due to burn injuries in Sivas city for six months were longitudinally evaluated. Epidemiological data of these patients were analyzed. Results: During the course of the study, 87 patients (49 males and 38 females) were hospitalized. The ratio of burn patients to the total number of hospitalized patients was 0.38%. The most common etiologic factor was scalds (70.1%). Burns generally took place in the kitchen (41.4%) and living room (31.4%), and majority of the patients received cold water as first-aid treatment at the time of injury. The vast majority of patients were discharged from the hospital without the need of surgical intervention (83.9%), and the duration of treatment was between 1 and 14 days for 73.6% of the patients. Sixty patients (68.9%) had a total burn surface area under 10%. The total cost of the hospitalization period of these patients was 137.225 Turkish Lira (83.308-92.908$), and the average cost per patient was 1.577 Turkish Lira (957-1067$). Conclusion: Our study revealed a considerable inconsistency when compared with the results of the community-based survey, which had been previously conducted in the same region. We concluded that hospital-based studies are far from reflecting the actual burn trauma potential of a given district in the absence of a reliable, standard, nation-wide record system. Population-based surveys should be encouraged to make an accurate assessment of burn rates in countries lacking reliable record systems.