Aetiology and outcome of elderly burn patients in tabriz, iran.

Background. Geriatric patients, usually defined as being 65 years of age or over, now make up about 10% of the major burn population. Main aim. To conduct a prospective study of elderly burn patients, analysing the predictive value of age, gender, total body surface area (TBSA) burned, inhalation trauma, pre-morbid conditions, and mortality. Methods. A 10-year prospective study of burn victims hospitalized in a major burn centre in Iran was conducted to analyse the association between age, percentage TBSA burn, inhalation injury, the causes of the burns, pre-existing co-morbid conditions and the risk of death, and the epidemiology of the burns. Results. Three hundred and eighty patients aged 65 years and over were identified. The mean patient age was 71 years. There were 109 deaths overall (28.7%), the majority of which (74) were among patients with self-inflicted burns. Except for the incidence of the burns, there were no significant differences between males and females. The mean burn size (21.6%) was significantly larger in non-survivors than in survivors (49.5% vs 10.3%; p < 0.001). In these 380 elderly burn patients, when the TBSA burned exceeded 50% mortality reached 100%. Inhalation injuries were strongly associated with large burns and were present in the majority of flame-burn fatalities. There were no deaths related to scalds. Pre-morbid conditions had no statistically significant influence on mortality. Conclusion. Large burn size was the strongest predictor of mortality among elderly burn patients, followed by the presence of inhalation injury. This study showed that burn patients aged 65 years and over can achieve a good outcome.