Burns

Abstract

BURNS remain a major health problem throughout the world, although the United States has the highest incidence of burns among all industrialized countries. A U.S. citizen has a 1 in 70 chance of being hospitalized for a burn during his or her lifespan. Only in the past two to three years has there been any evidence of a decline in the incidence of burns. In 1982, more than 2 million patients with burns required medical attention in the United States and more than 10,000 burn-related deaths occurred. Only motor vehicle accidents cause more accidental deaths than burns.^{1 2 3} The epidemiologic aspects . . .