Epidemiological and clinical aspects of severe burns in patients admitted to intensive care at the Burn Centre in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Severe skin burns constitute a significant public health problem worldwide. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of severe skin burns in order to implement effective preventive measures. This was a prospective cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical aims, conducted over a one-year period at the Burn Centre in Abidjan. The study included 230 patients admitted to the intensive care unit for severe burns, aged under 5 years and older. The total burned body surface area was estimated using Wallace's rule of nines. The Baux index assessed the severity of the burn. The population was evenly distributed by sex, with a predominance of children aged 0 to 4 years (37.39%). 49% of our patients had an unfavourable socioeconomic status. Thermal burns were the most common cause (94.78%). Children under 5 years of age were primarily burned by hot liquids, with flame burns (72.92%) and the patients over 5 years of age were more affected by flame burns (72.92%). The burns were primarily of mixed depth (superficial and deep second-degree burns) (57%). The average burn extent was 32.03%. The median burned body surface area was 20.38% in children and 34.5% in older patients. Patient mortality was high (41.3%).