Festive burns in New South Wales
Jason Diab1, David Khaicy1, Zachias Hopkins1, Vanessa Diab1, Peter Maitz1, Andrea Issler-Fisher1, 1Concord Hospital, Concord, NSW , Australia
Abstract
Introduction:
The Christmas festive season usually has an increase in trauma related events requiring hospitalisations. It is notoriously one of the busiest times of the year for emergency departments and burn services. This study aims to describe and analyse patterns and trends in adult burns across New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory during the festive season.
Methods:
A state wide retrospective review was conducted from January 2017 to January 2022 for adult patients with burns. A comparative analysis was performed for the festive period (24 December to 3rd January) compared to the non-festive period analysing burn profiles and outcomes.
Results:
Of 11,433 patients, there were 360 patients with burns during the festive period. There was no significant difference between sex and age, but the elderly (65 years+) had a larger proportion of burns compared to the non-elderly (4.0% vs 2.9%, p=0.027) during the festive period. Flames and explosions had greater proportions of injuries during the festive period compared to the non-festive period, respectively (3.8% vs 2.8%, p=0.010; 6.9% vs 3.0%, p=0.024). The elderly had greater proportions of scalds (20.5% vs 11.5%) during the festive period compared to the non-festive period. There were greater proportions of superficial burns (3.4% vs 2.8%, p=0.055), however the mean TBSA% and depths of burn were non-significant. There were no significant differences for %TBSA, length of stay, or operating sessions.
Conclusions:
In a time of celebration, a focus of prevention and awareness concerning flames and explosions are important for young adults before the season begins. The elderly particularly deserve attention with many at home preventable injuries.
Biography
Jason is a surgical trainee with an interest in epidemiology and burn prevention.