Dr Jack Mackenzie¹, Dr Elizabeth Vujcich¹

¹Royal Brisbane And Women’s Hospital

Abstract:

Background: Burn injuries are among the most devastating of all injuries yet remain common and often preventable. Understanding the cause and characteristics of burn injuries is key to developing prevention strategies and public health policy aimed at reducing the morbidity, mortality and overall burden of disease. Although flame/flash burns are commonly reported nationally and internationally as the predominant primary cause of burn injuries, scald and contact burns are increasingly common and account for a growing proportion of the referrals in Queensland.

Objectives: To describe the incidence, mechanism and characteristics of burn injuries referred to the Queensland State Burns Unit from 2018-2021.

Methods: Burn injury referrals to the Queensland Burns Unit located at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) require submission of descriptive details and photographic images through an online portal. Information on all referrals including the patient admission data and treatment advice is recorded in a registry that is used to monitor unit workload and trends of injury. Data pertaining to demographics (age, gender, referral centre, indigenous status) burn characteristics (size, cause, location) and treatment (admission, operative intervention) were collected over the period 2018 to 2021 and analysed in comparison with the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand (BRANZ).

Findings: Over the preceding 4 years the RBWH received an average of 2870 new referrals annually with 10.8% requiring admission for treatment. Scald (36.6%) was the most common aetiology of injury referred with, contact (26.5%) and flame (24.8%) collectively accounting for 87.8% of all injuries.

Biography:

Jack is a principal house officer in general surgery at the Toowoomba Hospital with a keen interest in trauma and burns undertaking a burns term with Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in 2021.