<b>Profile of burn victims assisted in the emergency unit of a university hospital in northwestern Paraná state</b> - DOI: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v8i2.8195

Abstract

In Brazil, burns are included in the category “deaths by external means”. In spite of the frequency in which they appear in the routine of emergency units, they represent an area of scarce statistical content. In the present study, the objective is to identify the profile of individuals and the types of burn accidents that are treated in the Emergency Unit of a university hospital in northwestern Paraná State. It is a descriptive and cross-sectional study with a sample of 108 burns victims, assisted between January and December of 2006. The monthly average was of 9 cases per month (SD±2.21), 61% of them male, and 47% with ages between 20 and 30 years. As for the types of burn occurrence, 74% were from domestic accidents and 62% by exposure to thermal agents, more specifically overheated liquids. The results were mainly 1st and 2nd degree lesions. The study concludes there is a need for preventive actions against domestic accidents by contact with overheated liquids.