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Baseline Assessment of Inpatient Burn Care at Tenwek Hospital, Bomet, Kenya

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Abstract

Background

Burn injuries are a significant source of both death and disability in developing countries. The objective of this project was to create a database of baseline inpatient burn care data to facilitate improvement of preventive measures and clinical outcomes at Tenwek Hospital, Bomet, Kenya.

Methods

Both demographic and clinical data were obtained through a retrospective chart review conducted on inpatient burn patients admitted to Tenwek Hospital between January 1, 2006 and May 31, 2010.

Results

Of the 269 patients studied, 53 % were male and 47 % were female. More than half (59 %) of the burns occurred in children younger than age 5 years. All-cause mortality rate of inpatient burn patients was 12 %. Cardiac arrest, sepsis, and respiratory failure/pneumonia caused 81 % of the deaths. Scalds caused 55 % of the burns. Thirteen percent of the burns were seizure-related. Second degree burns accounted for 76 % of the burns. Forty-three percent of patients received at least one surgical debridement during their hospital stay. Thirty-seven percent of patients received at least one split-thickness skin graft. Antibiotic treatment was administered to 55 % of patients. Fifty-three percent of patients presented to Tenwek Hospital 1 day or more from the time of injury.

Conclusions

We propose that prevention efforts focus on minimizing children’s exposure to boiling liquids and open flames in homes, providing appropriate and consistent treatment to epileptics to prevent seizure-related burns, and stressing the importance of early presentation for treatment. A more selective approach to antibiotic use should be encouraged to decrease costs to the patient and hospital and lessen the risk of antibiotic resistance.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Hannah Otteni for her participation in data collection, Jason Fader, MD, for his supervision of data collection, Robert K. Parker, MD, for his role in critiquing the project, the staff of Tenwek Hospital who helped to enable this project to be completed, and the Summer Assistantship Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for providing funding for travel and housing.

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Craig R. Otteni

  2. 125 4th Street, Apt 3, Providence, RI, 02906, USA

    Craig R. Otteni

  3. General Surgery Residency Program, Department of Surgery, Tenwek Hospital, PO Box 39, Bomet, Kenya

    Seno Ivan Saruni & Russell E. White

  4. General Surgery Residency Program, Department of Surgery, Rhode Island Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 593 Eddy St., APC 4, Providence, RI, 01903, USA

    Vincent P. Duron & Russell E. White

  5. General and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, 1715 North Weber St., Suite 220, Colorado Springs, CO, 80907, USA

    Jeremy P. Hedges

  6. Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, 12631 E. 17th Ave., C302, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Jeremy P. Hedges

Authors
  1. Craig R. Otteni
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  2. Seno Ivan Saruni
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  3. Vincent P. Duron
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  4. Jeremy P. Hedges
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  5. Russell E. White
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Craig R. Otteni.

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Otteni, C.R., Saruni, S.I., Duron, V.P. et al. Baseline Assessment of Inpatient Burn Care at Tenwek Hospital, Bomet, Kenya. World J Surg 37, 1530–1535 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-013-2045-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-013-2045-2

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