Characteristics of bath-related burns in Japan
Introduction
Thanks to recent advances in the treatment of burns, survival has greatly improved. However, prevention is of paramount importance, and thus it is critical to understand how patients are burned. Flame and hot water burns are common in Japan and abroad, and in Japan especially, bath-related accidents often result in extensive and severe burn injuries[1]. The purpose of this study was to identify features of bath-related burns which could be used in prevention programs.
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Subjects and methods
Included in this study were all patients with burns admitted to the Critical Care Medical Center, Kinki University Hospital between 1982 and 1996. A retrospective analysis of age, sex, percentage body surface area (%BSA) of the burn, burn index (BI), mortality rate and burn etiology was performed. The patients were divided into five age groups according to the behavior pattern around the bath.
Data were expressed as mean±S.D. Age, BSA and BI were analyzed with the unpaired Student's t-test.
Number of bath-related burns
A total of 216 patients were admitted with burns during the study period. The burns were bath-related in 58 patients (26.9%). Bath-related burns were second only to flame burns (Fig. 1). The number of patients with bath-related burns increased throughout the study period which was divided into 5-year intervals (Fig. 2).
Age and sex differences
In the 3 to 5 age group, 80.0% of all burns were bath-related. Only 16.1% of the burns were bath-related in the 16 to 69 age group (Fig. 3). Of all the patients with bath-related
Discussion
There are no independent burn centers in Japan. Severely burned patients are treated at critical care medical centers, as ours. Many individuals sustain bath-related burns in Japan[1]. We therefore conducted this study to identify features of bath-related burns.
Conclusion
To conclude, our results indicate that the percentage of burns which are bath-related and the severity of bath-related burns are high, and that the mechanism of bath-related burns clearly differed according to age. These can be attributed to lifestyle, bathing systems, living conditions and an increase in the elderly population. It is possible to prevent these burns in most cases. Education based on this study will play a critical role in the prevention of the bath-related burn injuries.
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