Trends and Clinical Outcomes of Major Burns in an Underserved Minority Population within a Large Metropolitan Area: A Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction Globally burn injuries are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics and outcomes after the management major burns in an underserved minority population. This study seeks to provide awareness of trends that can aid in developing strategies to improve healthcare delivery to minority burn patients and identify correlations that can promote injury prevention. Methods This study is a single-center, retrospective review of data obtained from the electronic medical records from a trauma center. Patients evaluated at an urban trauma center, and admitted to the Burn ICU from March 2019 through March 2022 with a %TBSA >20 were eligible for inclusion. A total of 27 cases were eligible for inclusion based on our criteria. The primary outcome measure was in-hospital mortality. Results The mean age was 46, and the patient population consisted of Blacks/African Americans (48.1%), and Whites (22.2%). Most of the injuries were due to flame (66.6%), and scald (25.9%) burns. Second-degree burns were more common (44.4%). Approximately 66.6% underwent excision/grafting, with the mean time to excision being 5.5 days. Also, 55.5% of those requiring > 1 excision/grafting procedures had a LOS > 30 days. The mean TBSA burns were 35.5%. In total, 7 deaths occurred in that time period with a mortality of 25.9%. 18.5% of patients had TBSA burns > 50%, and subsequently 60% of those eventually died. Those who died were > 50 years old, with 71.4% having inhalational injury. Mean initial lactate was 5.3, with 85.7% of deaths having lactate > 4. Dialysis requirement had 100% mortality. Conclusion The disparity in minority burn outcomes has been poorly studied. The ability to identify trends and risk factors aids in spreading awareness, and influencing the development of culturally-appropriate burn care.