Case-fatality rates by body part affected and trends in hospitalized burns in Maryland, 1981-90.

This study was undertaken (i) to determine in-hospital case-fatality rates (CFRs) by severity using body part(s) affected as a proxy, and (ii) to examine the trends in hospitalized burns regarding CFRs. The study used the Health Service Cost Review Commission non-confidential Maryland hospital discharge data for the years 1981-90. CFRs were computed as percentages of hospitalized burns that died. Chi-square tests were used to assess homogeneity for categorical variables and to examine linear trends. The CFR for hospitalized burns was 2.9 per cent. CFR was highest among the elderly (13.1 per cent) and for burns affecting multiple specified sites (7.4 per cent), and lowest among children (1.1 per cent) and for upper limb burns (0.22 per cent). Burn CFR increased overall by 59 per cent for 1981-90, with a decreasing rate only in children. However, after controlling for age and degree of burn no significant change in trend in CFRs over the 10-year period was evident. The findings demonstrate that while child burn fatality seems to have declined, the elderly continue to have high CFR for burns regardless of the body part affected, and that the CFRs for hospitalized burns remained constant between 1981 and 1990 in Maryland despite considerable advances in treatment.