Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of burns in the older person: a seven-year retrospective analysis of 693 cases at a burn center in south-west China

Background: Burns are one of the major traumas that may affect older individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of geriatric burns at a major center in south-west China. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital of Army Medical University between 2010 and 2016, and the data collected from medical records included admission date, age, gender, premorbid disease, burn etiology, injured anatomical location, burn area and depth, inhalation injury, number of surgeries, length of stay (LOS), clinical outcome, and medical cost. Results: Of the 693 older burn patients included, 60.75% were male and 56.85% were aged 60-69 years. Burns peaked in December-March and June. Flame was the most common cause of burns, making up 51.95% of all cases, and also dominated in the burn patients aged 60-69 years. Limbs were the most common anatomical sites of burns (69.41%), and the median total body surface area (TBSA) was 5% (interquartile range [IQR]: 2%-15%). The percentage of the patients who underwent surgeries and number of surgeries significantly increased in the cases of contact burns, younger age and full-thickness burns. Six deaths resulted in a mortality of 0.9%. The median LOS was 16 days (IQR: 8-29 days), and the main risk factors were more surgeries, better outcomes, and full-thickness burns. The median cost was 20,228 CNY (IQR: 10,457- 46,581.5 CNY), and major risk factors included longer LOS, larger TBSA, and more surgeries. Furthermore, compared to the earlier data from our center, the proportion of older adults among all burns (7.50% vs. 4.15%), proportion of flame burns (51.95% vs. 33.90%), and mean age (69.05 years vs. 65.10 years) were significantly higher, while the proportion of premorbidities (16.9% vs. 83.9%), mortality (0.9% vs. 7.5%) and median TBSA (5% vs. 21%) were significantly lower. Conclusions: This study suggested that closer attention should be paid to prevent burn injuries in older people aged 60-69 years, especially males, regarding incidents in the summer and winter, and flame burns. Moreover, tailored intervention strategies based on related risk factors should be under special consideration.