Background:Electrical burn is less prevalent in comparison to other forms of burn injuries, however this type of injury is considered as one of the most devastating due to high morbidity and mortality. Understanding the epidemiologic pattern of electrical burns helps determine the contributing factors leading to this type of injury.Objectives:Epidemiologic studies on electrical burn are scarce in Iran. This study was conducted to evaluate electrical burn injury at our center.Materials and Methods:Demographic data, etiology, burn percentage and other measures related to electrical burn injury of 682 electrical burn patients treated from 2007 to 2011 were collected and analyzed.Results:We assessed 682 electrical burn patients (~10.8% of all burn patients); the mean age was 29.4 years and 97.8% were males. The mean hospital stay was 18.5 days and the mean burn extent was 14.43%. Severe morbidities caused 17 (2.5%) deaths. Amputation was performed in 162 cases. The most common amputation site was the fingers (35%). Most victims were workers and employees and 68.5% of electrical burns occurred at their workplace; 72% of electrical burns were due to high voltage electrical current (more than 1000 V). There was a correlation between voltage and amputation (P = 0.001) and also between voltage and fasciotomy (P = 0.033), but there was no correlation between voltage and mortality (P = 0.131)Conclusions:Electrical burn injuries are still amongst the highest accident-related morbidities and mortalities. Educating the population about the dangers and hazards associated with improper use of electrical devices and instruments is imperative.

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to determine the prevalence of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance profile of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from Iranian burn patients.ResultsThis cross-sectional study performed on 100 P. aeruginosa isolates which were recovered from burn wound specimens in 2014–2015. All presumptive isolates were identified by standard microbiologic tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was carried out by disk diffusion method. The presence of virulence genes was determined by PCR method. Antibiotic susceptibility results revealed that the isolates were mostly susceptible to amikacin (61%), ceftazidime (60%), and imipenem (55%). Moreover, 59% of the isolates were multi-drug resistance (MDR). The most prevalent MDR pattern was aminoglycosides–penicillins–fluoroquinolones–carbapenems (15%). The presence of exoT, exoY, exoS and exoU genes was detected in 100%, 100%, 59%, and 41% of the tested isolates, respectively. Results points out the pattern of MDR and genetic diversity of type III secretion system among P. aeruginosa strains isolated from the burn population. Overall, the association of MDR and the presence of the specific virulence genes can be a predictive marker for the persistence of these isolates in the hospitals and subsequently a worse clinical condition for the affected patients.

BackgroundAdvances in the care of burn injuries have resulted from the efforts of regional patient-based specialist teams at burn care centers.ObjectivesWe conducted this study to assess the four-year epidemiology of burn injuries in Rasht, Iran.Materials and MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, medical records of 2274 burn patients, treated at Velayat hospital from January 2007 to December 2010 in Rasht, Iran, were assessed. Age, sex, level of education, occupation, severity and degree of burn, burn surface area, burn cause and outcome of patients were evaluated.ResultsIn our study the overall mortality rate was 8.7%; 65.7% of patients were men and 34.3% were women. Mean age of patients was 31.47 ± 22.67 years. Mean Total Burn Surface Area (TBSA) was 15.24 ± 18.4. Lowest TBSA was 0.5% and highest TBSA was 100%. Significant associations were observed between age (P = 0.0001), place of residence (P = 0.004), level of education (P = 0.0001), unemployment (P = 0.0001), marital status (P = 0.021), causes of burn (P = 0.0001), TBSA (P = 0.0001) and mortality rate. In our study, no significant difference was observed between age and sex (P = 0.071).ConclusionsDue to high prevalence of burn injuries in Iran, increasing the level of awareness of the society as well as adhering to safety procedures both at home and workplace is recommended via implementing effective national safety policies.

Background: Burns are the second most common etiology of injury death in children under 5 years old and are the most common cause of death in a home accident. Materials & Methods: This study was performed to investigate the epidemiology of childhood burn in children under 16 years old referred to Velayat Burn Center, Rasht City, Iran, from 2013 to 2018. Data were collected from electronic hospital records of burn patients aged under 16 years of age. Results: Out of 717 patients, 44.5% were girls, and 55.5% were boys (sex ratio=1.2). The highest frequency of burns (56.1%) was reported in the 1-5 years age group. The most common cause of burn was scalds (76%), and the most common burn severity was second-degree burns (46.7%). The Mean±SD duration of hospitalization was 3.07±4.15 days, and the hospital stay was significantly associated with the cause of the burn, Burned Body Surface Area (BBSA), and burn severity. The highest frequency was reported on Saturdays, i.e., (the first working day in Iran) (22.7%), between 6 and 12 o’clock (42.8%). Conclusion: This study found that children in 1-5 years old were the most susceptible age group for burn injuries and scalds were the most common cause of the burn. The male to female ratio was 1.2, and the majority of burns occurred in the winter.

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