An Epidemiological Survey of Hand Burn Injuries Admitted to a Large Burn Center in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

Abstract

Background: Hand form and function play a vital role in daily living, and even minor trauma can significantly impair quality of life. There is a current paucity of data regarding hand burn patient and injury characteristics, particularly in urban areas in the United States. As the field of hand surgery expands, a demographic understanding of patients with severe injury potentially requiring surgical management is imperative. The aim of this study was to define the epidemiological characteristics of burn injuries involving the hand that were admitted to a large New York City burn center.

Methods: A retrospective review of the electronic health record was conducted to identify all patients admitted to our burn center with burn injury involving the hand from August 2020 to December 2023. Patient demographics, injury etiology and characteristics, and hospital course details were recorded and analyzed.

Results: We identified 96 admitted patients with 140 hand burn injuries, with a patient median age of 38 years. Female patients presented to the hospital significantly later after initial injury than male patients and were more likely to suffer from flame-related injury. The median length of stay for initial admission was 17.5 days, with longer length of stay associated with hypertension comorbidity. Patients experiencing homelessness demonstrated higher rates of psychiatric disorder, substance use, and current smoking. Length of follow-up was positively correlated with estimated household income. Compared to the general city population, the patient cohort was made up of a lower percentage of "White alone" and "Asian alone" race categories and higher percentage of persons experiencing homelessness.

Conclusions: We report the clinical and social characteristics of burn patients with hand involvement admitted to a large urban burn center. Hand burn injuries have distinct risk factors and morbidity implications, and consideration for higher-risk groups is imperative for optimal prevention, acute management, and long-term support.