title: A three-decade review of thermal injuries among the elderly at a regional burn centre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review trends in incidence and treatment of thermal injuries among the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 3-year retrospective review of medical records of people aged 65 years and older admitted to our burn centre over July 2003-June 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elderly people with burns continued to have significant comorbidities. They were often burned because they were inappropriately trying to live alone. Thus discharge was often complicated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At our burn centre, survival among elderly people with burns has increased, probably as a result of more sophisticated medical, surgical and nursing care, as well as more extensive rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Western Pennsylvania Hospital Burn Unit, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, United States. ktissue@wpahs.org
authors.forename: Sheri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Macrino
authors.forename: Harvey
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aballay
authors.forename: I William
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Goldfarb
authors.forename: Philip F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Caushaj
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002053:Burn Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002056:Burns / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology