title: A clinico-epidemiological study of rescuer burns.
abstract: Rescuer burn is a relatively newer terminology introduced to define the burns sustained by a person attempting to rescue a primary burn victim. Few studies have been published thus far on this peculiar type of burns. Due to the general neglect of the rescuer burns victim and discontinuation of treatment in most cases, once the primary victim dies, the rescuer often ends up in badly infected wounds and has a delayed return to work. A prospective study was conducted at the B J Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad from January 2009 to December 2012 on the rescuer burns patients treated in its burns and plastic surgery department. 3074 patients of burns received treatment during the period of study. Of these, 48 patients gave the history of sustaining burns while trying to rescue a burns victim. Male to female ratio of rescuers was approximately 7:1. It was significantly higher as compared to the ratio of 1:0.8 of females to male burn victims observed at our centre (p≤0.01). Average age of the rescuers was higher in males as compared to females but the difference was not significant (p≥0.05). Of the 45 cases of female primary burns victims, male rescuer was husband of the primary victim in 41/45 cases (91.1%), mother was rescuer in three cases (6.6% cases) and sister was rescuer in one case. Though multiple people came to rescue a burns victim, in all cases, it was seen that it was the first rescuer who sustained burns himself or herself. None of the rescuers had any knowledge of the techniques and precautions to be taken while performing a rescue operation irrespective of their education status, indirectly pointing to the lack of any teaching on burns rescue in the school education curriculum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, India.
authors.forename: Baljeet Kumar
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Basra
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, India.
authors.forename: Manav P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Suri
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, India.
authors.forename: Nilesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, India.
authors.forename: Ravish
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Atha
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, India.
authors.forename: Natvar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, India.
authors.forename: Jayesh P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sachde
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, India. Electronic address: mnfshaikh@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Shaikh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001134:Arm Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018635:Rescue Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018454:Spouses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Electric burn; Face burn; Hand burn; Pattern of burn; Rescuer burn; Thermal burn