La Revue du praticien
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In 2002, the organisation of burn care is confronted to a great deficiency in burn epidemiological datas. The main mechanisms of hospitalized burns are somehow wellknown in industrialized countries: about 60% scalds and 30% flame burns; as well as the place of occurrence (60% at home, and 20% at work), and the risk groups (3 times more important for the age group 0-4 years old). ⋯ The statistics of Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG), for hospitalized patients will allow in France very shortly to know more about the most rational ways of dispatching and treating them. They already show that only 30% of hospitalized burned patients are treated in specialized facilities.
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Severely burned patients are at high risk for developing respiratory failure at any time during their treatment. The lung of a thermally injured patient may sustain many injuries such as smoke inhalation, physical forces, inflammation and infection. ⋯ The respiratory injuries are one of the main factors responsible for high mortality in burned patients. Better understanding of the pathophysiology and inflammatory response will lead to future therapeutic advances.