title: Analysis of the burns profile and the admission rate of severely burned adult patient to the National Burn Center of Chile after the 2010 earthquake.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chile is located in the Ring of Fire, in South America. An earthquake 8.8° affected 80% of the population in February 27th, 2010. This study was conducted to assess any change in burns profile caused by the earthquake.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an ecologic study. We compared the 4 months following the earthquake in 2009 and 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  age, TBSA, deep TBSA, agent, specific mortality rate and rate of admissions to the National burn Center of Chile. Mann-Whitney test and a Poisson regression were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age, agent, TBSA and deep TBSA percentages did not show any difference. Mortality rate was lower in 2010 (0.52 versus 1.22 per 1,000,000 habitants) but no meaningful difference was found (Poisson regression p = 0.06). Admission rate was lower in 2010, 4.6 versus 5.6 per 1,000,000 habitants, but no differences were found (p = 0.26). There was not any admissions directly related to the earthquake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As we do not have incidence registries in Chile, we propose to use the rate of admission to the National Burn Reference Center as an incidence estimator. There was not any significant difference in the burn profile, probably because of the time of the earthquake (3 am). We conclude the earthquake did not affect the way the Chilean people get burned.
authors.affiliation: National Burn Reference Center of Chile, Alejandro del Rio Public Assistance Hospital, Servicio de Quemados, Santiago, Chile. clau.albornoz@gmail.com
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albornoz
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Villegas
authors.forename: Marilu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sylvester
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.forename: Iside
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bravo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002053:Burn Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult