מאמר של פרופ' חייק יוסף

Abstract

Background: The treatment of burn patients plays a major role in the health system, requiring numerous resources and extensively long hospitalizations. The treatment involves Intensive Care Units and the entire medical and para-medical staff. Currently, Israel has 5 designated burn units, strategically scattered all over the country. Recently, due to some major burn disasters, reevaluation of the demography, etiology and clinical features of burns has been conducted.

Objectives: The study entails quantity and quality evaluations of burn victims in Israel between the years 2004 and 2010, identification of high risk populations and recent demographic, etiological and clinical trends.

Methods: A data analysis was conducted of all the burn patients hospitalized in Israel's 5 trauma centers' burn units between the years 2004 and 2010 according to the Israeli Trauma Registry (ITR).

Results: Between the years 2004 and 2010, 5270 burn victims were hospitalized in five trauma centers burn units. The average hospitalization period was 11.67 days, while the mortality rate was 3.72%. High risk populations were identified as babies up to 2 years old and the non-Jewish population.

Discussion: High risk populations were identified, such as young babies and the non-Jewish population. These groups should be addressed specifically with proper publicity and information. Even though mortality rates were stable, the mean hospitalization length is declining over the years, possibly secondary to advanced dressing and ambulatory treatments.