Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine (IAFM) - Official website of IAFM

J Indian Acad Forensic Med. October- December 2011, Vol. 33, No. 4 ISSN 0971-0973
Maximum cases were seen in the month
of February, (19% (17) of burns cases and 21%
(11) septicemic cases). The cases were
distributed evenly throughout the rest of the
year. The months from March to August
recorded 20 septicemic cases against a total of
41 burns with 49% septicemia incidence
whereas the months from September to
February showed 33 septicemic cases against a
total of 48 burns with a 69% incidence of
septicemia. (Figure 1)
The overall incidence of septicemia was
72% for the rural population, 70% for slum
dwellers, and 45% for the urban population. In
males, there were equal number of cases from
rural and urban areas, 7 each; but the incidence
of septicemia was 54% for rural males and 33%
each for their urban and slum counterparts.
Similarly, the number of female cases was
almost equal from rural and urban areas but the
incidence of septicemia was 81% for rural
females, 57% for urban and 86% for slum
dwellers. (Table 2)
Kitchen was the most common place for
sustaining burn injury, 71% burns and 83% of
septicemic cases, respectively. The overall
incidence of septicemia in these cases was
70%. But a gender split of these cases showed
that only 45% of males suffering burns in the
kitchen developed septicemia as against 80% of
females. The percentage of septicemia cases
was only 4% in other rooms of the house and
9% for burns suffered at workplace, with a
gender-wise septicemia incidence of 20% and
36%, respectively (Table 3).
In accidental burns incidence of
septicemia was 59%, whereas for suicidal burns,
it was 63%. In the accidental burns group,
females recorded a septicemia incidence of 75%
as against 36% for males; whereas in suicidal
group, it was 67% for males and 60% for female
burn victims. (Table 4)
Flame burn was the most common type
of burns (86% of burn cases and 96% of
septicemic cases). The overall incidence of
septicemia in flame burn group was 66% (50%
for males and 75% for females. In males one
case each of septicemia was recorded in
electrical and chemical burns with a septicemia
incidence of 20% and 50% respectively. (Figure
2)
Twenty-two percent of the patients who
reported to GMCH within one hour post burn
showed a 40% incidence of septicemia. The
patients who recorded a delay between 1-6
hours (40%) had a 66% incidence of septicemia;
where as in the 26% patients with a delay of 6-
12 hours, septicemia was seen in 100% cases.
For the 26% cases who had reported to GMCH
320
after > 1 day post burn, incidence of septicemia
was 57%. The gender wise incidence of
septicemia was 25% in males and 63% in
females for up-to 1 hour delay group; 46%
versus 77% in 1-6 hours group and 100% each
in the 6-12 hours delay group. (Figure 3)
The TBSA wise incidence of septicemia
was recorded at 19% in 70% TBSA range. The gender wise incidence
of septicemia was 0% in males and 50% in
females with 70% TBSA in
males and female burns respectively. (Table 5)
The incidence of septicemia in the fatal
cases was 86% with a gender-wise incidence of
87% in males and 86% in females. The same
was 24% in the patients who survived the burn
injury with an incidence of only 5% in male
survivors and 47% in female ones. Within the
septicemia group only 17% survived being
constituted by 7% of septicemic males and 21%
of females. Eighty-three percent of post burn
septicemic patients died, with a gender wise
death incidence of 93% in septicemic males and
79% in septicemic females. (Table 6, Figure 4)
Discussion:
During the period of study, 53 (59.5%)
cases developed septicemia, of which 15
(28.3%) were males and 38 (71.7%) were
females. The results of the study indicated that
young and productive population (21-35 years
age group) of Chandigarh area is not only the
major contributor to burns patient load at GMCH
(65% of burns victims) but also has a high risk of
developing post burn septicemic complications,
with 62% incidence of septicemia in this age
group.
The gender analysis of septicemic
cases showed a female predominance with a
male to female ratio of 1: 2.5, moreover the
incidence of septicemia was 74% for females‘ as
compared to 45% for males and 61% in the
overall study. Similar findings have also been
reported by Harish et al [3], Sharma et al [4-6],
Singh et al [7] and Taneja et al. [8]
The hotter months from March to August
recorded 41 burns cases with 49% incidence of
septicemia, whereas the colder months from
September to February had 48 burns cases that
had 69% incidence of septicemia. Ideally it is
expected that infection rates should be lower in
colder conditions so a lower septicemia
incidence is expected, but a higher TBSA
involved in burn injury was seen in these cooler
months so the resultant increased risk of
septicemia was recorded. Similar findings of