Study of Burn Injuries During Pregnancy Admitted in Tertiary Care Hospitals in South India

Burn injuries during pregnancy bring about significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality in developing countries even to this day. The objectives of the study were to assess demographic, socio-cultural factors, causes and outcome of burn injuries during pregnancy. This prospective epidemiological study of all pregnant burn injury patients admitted in two tertiary care hospitals in South India was conducted during the year 2009. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Ethics Committee. The data was obtained after informed consent by inter personal communication with the patients or their relatives and recorded on a predesigned and pretested proforma. The data was analysed using percentages. Out of 114 married women admitted with burn injuries during the study period, 10(8.77%) were pregnant. Majority (80%) were between 20 - 24 years of age. Maximum numbers (50%) were primigravida and 80% were married for less than 5 years and 50% were in the first trimester of pregnancy. Synthetic sarees were worn by 90% of the victims at the time of the incident. Mortality was 40%. Results of this study clearly highlight the specific epidemiological features of burn injuries during pregnancy in the area and this information can provide necessary measures to develop adequate burn prevention programmes.