Elsevier

Burns

Volume 18, Issue 2, April 1992, Pages 149-152
Burns

Burn care in practice
Burns in patients over 60 years old: epidemiology and mortality

https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4179(92)90015-MGet rights and content

Abstract

Epidemiology and mortality among burn patients over age 60 years who were admitted to the Burn Centre of La Fé Hospital (Valencia, Spain) between 1 January 1988 and 1 January 1991 have been studied. A total of 443 patients (7.8 per cent of all presenting patients) were hospitalized during this 3-year period; of these, 69 (15.5 per cent) were over 60 years old. There were 40 females and 29 males (mean age, 72.2 years). Mean burn area was 21.6 per cent of total body surface, and the most commonly involved regions were the lower limbs (81 per cent). Fire flames were the most common cause of burns (65.2 per cent) and produced the most extensive lesions. Eight-five per cent of the accidents occurred at home, and winter was the season of highest incidence. Patient mortality was 33.3 per cent, the most common causes of which were hypovolaemic shock during the first 24 h and pneumonia in the later stages.

References (8)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (37)

  • Geriatric Burn Injuries Presenting to the Emergency Department of a Major Burn Center: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes

    2022, Journal of Emergency Medicine
    Citation Excerpt :

    Although outcomes in burn treatments in younger patients have improved dramatically in the last 50 years, these improvements are less dramatic in older adults (2,20,21). Much research to date has focused exclusively on the treatment of older adult patients with severe burns who are hospitalized in burn centers (2,4,6,22–27). There is limited information available regarding the clinical characteristics of all geriatric burn victims who present to the emergency department (ED), including those with less severe injuries who may be discharged from the ED and followed up in an outpatient setting.

  • Burns in older people. Epidemiology, surgical management and outcome in a university hospital referral burn unit, 1994-2004

    2012, European Geriatric Medicine
    Citation Excerpt :

    As the age profile of the population increases, older people are being admitted to burn units [1–3].

  • Influence of race and neighborhood on the risk for and outcomes of burns in the elderly in North Carolina

    2011, Burns
    Citation Excerpt :

    Older adults are at high risk for burn [1–3] and experience significant burn-related morbidity and mortality [4].

  • Burn treatment in the elderly

    2009, Burns
    Citation Excerpt :

    When planning multiple operative sessions, the fact of the dermis in elderly patients being rather thin must be taken into account, since this renders harvesting and reharvesting of skin donor sites more difficult, especially due to the longer healing periods [91]. Burns represent a more serious injury to the elderly organism than to the younger, and for any given burn pattern, aged people have a reported higher mortality rate [12,18,39,88,92–98]. In all kinds of formulas available to predict mortality in burn patients, age plays a decisive role.

  • Epidemiologic investigation of geriatric burns in Southwest China

    2009, Burns
    Citation Excerpt :

    Only one patient was cured prior to discharge. Epidemiological research in geriatrics has revealed unique results and conclusions related to burns in the elderly world wide [3–14]. The Burn Center of Southwest Hospital, one of the oldest burn centers in China, admits the majority of burn patients in Southwest of China, including Chongqing, the largest city in China, with a population of more than 31 million people; the urban resident population is, however, only about 6 million.

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text