title: Mortality associated with burn injury - a cross sectional study from Karachi, Pakistan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Burn injuries are a major cause of medico legal deaths in Pakistan. The present study was conducted with the aim to assess the mortality rate related to different types of burns injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This was an observational prospective cross sectional study conducted in Burns Ward of Civil Hospital, Karachi during a period of two years from January 1st 2010 to December 31st, 2011. Data was collected over a questionnaire containing demographic variables as well as date of burn, date of the death (if patient expired), total body surface area involved, cause and manner of burn. The data was statistically analyzed by SPSS v. 16. A total of 1979 patients were admitted to the department during the study period. Out of them, 715 died, hence a mortality rate of 36.12%. Out of the 715 patients, 380 (53.1%) were males and 335 (46.9%) were females. Mortality was highest in age-group 16-30 years (n = 395, 55.2%). Majority of the deaths were accidental (n = 685, 95.8%). Fire burns was found to be the most common cause of death (n = 639, 89.3%). 35% (n = 252) of the patients who died had more than 60% of total body surface area involved in burns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measures must be taken to inform the general population of the possible causes of these injuries, and to enable the people to be prepared to face any such circumstances.
authors.forename: Ehmer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Al Ibran
authors.forename: Farhat Hussain
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.affiliation: Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan. akhtar.amin@live.com.
authors.forename: Akhtar Amin
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Memon
authors.forename: Muhammad Zain
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Farooq
authors.forename: Maryum
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002056:Burns / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices