Epidemiology of burn injuries in Singapore from 1997 to 2003

The Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Burn Centre receives more than 93% of burn cases occurring in Singapore. The Centre also received patients from the Southeast Asian region. The collection and analysis of burn epidemiology data in recent years from Singapore would provide insights into new prevention/management strategies in terms of population profile and economic activities. Data pertaining to burn patients admitted to SGH Burn Centre between January 1997 and December 2003 were studied retrospectively in terms of admissions’ demographics, extent of burn (TBSA), causes of burns, length of hospital stay (LOS) and mortality. A total of 2019 burn patients were admitted with an annual admission of 288. This presented an incidence rate for burn injury (with admission) of 0.07 per 1000 general population. The male to female ratio is 2.2:1 and the mean age of admission is 32.5 years. The mean extent of burn was 11.5% and patients with burn size 10% TBSA and less made up the majority of admissions at 70.7% while patients with burn size 30% TBSA and more made up 8.2%. The most common cause of burn injury is scald at 45.6% followed by flame at 35.2%. The overall mean LOS and mortality are 10.8 days and 4.61%, respectively. An annual trend of falling mortality rate for admissions with burn size >30% TBSA was observed—60% in year 2000 to 30% in 2003. This is a result of massive early excision and grafting of severe burn patients. 17.6% of patients were children of 12 years and below, showing a 11.9% reduction from previous study in the 80 s. This is consistent with the cityʹs demographics of falling fertility rate and improved living and social conditions. Occupational burn admissions account for 33.4% of total admissions, a reduction of 11.6% from a study in the early 90s. Occurrence of occupational flame burns decreased by 9.5% due to an improvement in fire prevention and management of the industrial sectors. However, chemical burns increased by 12.6% as the chemical sector in Singapore grew at a rate of 10% from year 1995 to 2000. Singapore has also derived much experience from the management of mass casualties resulting from SQ006 plane crash and bomb blasts in Bali as well as in Jakarta. In total, 315 victims were treated (4 from SQ006, 16 from Bali and 15 from Jakarta) with 1 mortality. The burns admissions in Singapore has a profile consistent with population demographics. Scald is the major cause of burns and most of these injuries are preventable. While the industries have made inroads into good fire prevention and management, management of chemical burns and other occupational hazards will continue to be scrutinized and advice given in terms of regulations, work processes and personal protective gears.