Burns injury characteristics and outcomes at lautoka hospital, fiji

• Published in: Burns open : an international open access journal for burn injuries 2025-01, Vol.9, p.100384, Article 100384
• Main Authors: Krishna Reddy, Rahul, Murari, Arun, Ali, Akhtar, Kumar, Ronal, Lutunaika, Livai, Choudhari, Abhay, Devi, Swastika, Kulsum, Famiza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Burns; Characteristics; Fiji; Outcomes
• ISSN: 2468-9122; 2468-9122
• DOI: 10.1016/j.burnso.2024.100384

•Burn is a major public health burden, especially among children.•Burns with a higher TBSA and greater depth were associated with a higher mortality rate.•To mitigate and reduce burn occurrence it is imperative to educate the general population about burn prevention strategies and appropriate responses to burn incident. Burns injury are a global public health problem and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. However, there is no published literature available from Lautoka Hospital in Fiji that assessed the characteristics and outcomes of burn patients. The aim of this study was to explore sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, medical care and outcomes of burn injury patient at Lautoka Hospital in order to gain deeper insights into burns related issues and improve burns care at the hospital. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted between January 1st 2020 and June 30th 2024 at Lautoka Hospital in Fiji. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25. The association between independent variables and outcomes was assessed using Chi-square test. Study population included 267 patients predominately male (57 %). Majority of the patients (59 %) were aged below 10 years. Most of the burns occurred at home (92 %). A significant proportion of patients (64 %) had burns affecting multiple regions with the lower extremities being the most commonly affected area. Partial thickness burns were observed in 87.5 % of patients. The majority of patients (55 %) had a total body surface area (TBSA)