title: [The treatment of burn patients. What are the prospects for the northern area of Portugal?].
abstract: The AA studied the distribution of age, sex, aetiology, and destiny of the 173 in-patients at the S. João Hospital (Central hospital that has no Burn Unit). In what concerns age, 38.1% are children less than 10 years old; the male/female ratio was 1.7:1. The fire and scalds are the most important aetiology. These findings are similar to those found in other countries (except in the Arabian Countries). Of these 99 burn patients have been treated in S. João Hospital, 71 patients were sent to the Burn Unit of Prelada Hospital and 3 to the Burn Unit of Coimbra University Hospital. These findings were compared to a Burn Unit of a Spanish Hospital (Alicante) which has 18 beds for adults and children, normally interning 132 patients per year. As the WHO suggest one special bed per 30,000 persons, we should be expected to have at least 110 beds for burn patients (we only have 9 beds at Prelada Hospital), the AA suggest the establishment of a Burn Unit at S. João Hospital, also due to the fact that is the only hospital that has a permanent emergency care for Plastic Surgery.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cirurgia Plástica e Reconstrutiva, H.S. João, Porto.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santa-Comba
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Amarante
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Malheiro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002053:Burn Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution
vernacular_title: Tratamento de queimados. Que perspectivas para a zona norte de Portugal?