This is a review and clinical analysis of 171 cases of burn patients (above 20% of body surface who were treated at the Department of Surgery, Wonju Medical College, Yonsei University from January 1977 to December 1981.
The following results were obtained.
1) Thirty-two cases of the 171 cases died, so the overall mortality rate was 22.8%.
2) The most frequent cause of death was sepsis in 21 cases (53.7%), followed by burn shock in 5 cases (12.8%), renal failure in 5, and pulmonary complication in 5.
3) The mortality rate is very high in cases with large area of burn, and the rate of older age group (over 46 year old) was higher than the rate of child group or adolescence, adult group.
4) The mortality rate caused by burn shock and renal failure in the child age group was more than the adolescence, adult age group and old age group. Also the fatal cases with burn shock or renal failure had severe electrolytes and acid-base imbalance.
5) Pulmonary complication was attributable to the mortality of the patients with large burn area and inhalation injury.
To decrease the mortality, we must do more effort in the management of the child age group and the patients with water-electrolytes imbalance. And early diagnosis and respiratory care by bron choscopy should be directed to the group of pulmonary complication by inhalation injury.
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