J Formos Med Assoc
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To study the causes of burn injuries and the nature of their medical treatment, we investigated the medical histories of hospitalized patients admitted to the burn center of Taipei City Ho-Ping Hospital from June 6, 1983 to June 6, 1987. Additionally, a phone interview follow-up on recovery conditions was made. Among the 300 patients admitted, the majority (53.7%) were burned by scalding water, while fire was the second most common cause of burns. ⋯ Those with severe burns average 26.5 days. Half (50.7%) of the patients recovered by the time they left the hospital. Examining the death rate by type of burn, we found that the death rate for chemical burns was the highest (10.34%), while the rate was lowest for scalding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)