Abstract:
Background: Africa contributes 12.2% to the total global deaths due
to burn injuries. There are no data on burns in the Western region of
Kenya
Objectives: To determine the causes and outcome of burns injuries
among in-patients at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH),
Eldoret, Kenya.
Study design: Retrospective Cross-sectional study.
Setting: The surgical wards of MTRH, an 800 bed tertiary teaching and
referral hospital in the Western region of Kenya.
Results: The age ranged between 4 days and 79 years (mean 7.9±13.7
years).The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. The common causes of burn
injury were scalds and open fi re. The mean duration of hospitalization
was 25.7 ±33.5days (Range 1 to 256 days). The mortality rate was 5%.
Conclusion: Scalding is the leading cause of burns at MTRH. The
length of hospitalization and mortality rate are comparable to those of
the developing world.
