Patients with Self-inflicted Burns (suicide and Automutilation) Compared to Patients with Accidental Burns. Are They Different?

Abstract

The incidence of self-inflicted burns amongst burn injuries in Europe has been reported up to 14%. Self-inflicted burns (suicidal intent and automutilation intent) tend to be more extensive and seem to have a higher mortality rate than accidental burns for which they require longer hospitalisations.

The purpose was to investigate in a 5-year retrospective file study the the incidence of self-inflicted burns and whether differences existed in length of stay and mortality between patient with suicidal intent and without suicidal intent versus accidental burns.

The total body burns (TBSA), the lenght of stay in the hospital and the mortality was significant higher in the patients with self-inflicted burns compared to patients with acccidental burns. When we match the patients with self -inflicted burns with an accidental burns patient with the samen burn severity based on ABSI-score then the self-inflicted group was not more likely to die of their injuries in comparison to their match accidental burn group. Also the length of stay of the self-inflicted burns group dit not differ significantly.

although suicide and automutilation burn patients have a longer length of stay and the suicidal burn patients have a higher mortality, when they are matched with an accidental burn patient on severity of burns they don't tend to have a worse outcome.