Citation

Sarma BP. Indian J. Burns 2012; 20(1): 42-45.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, National Academy of Burns India, Publisher MedKnow)

DOI

10.4103/0971-653X.111781

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Introduction : Diwali is one of the most important festivals in India, but it also sees lots of people suffering from burns due to fire crackers. Methodology : This is a prospective study of 120 cases of Diwali-related burns in a period of 3 years. The data in the prescribed format were collected from two hospitals of Guwahati, the capital city of Assam. Results : There were 85 males and 35 females in the series. While 90 patients were directly involved in the use of the crackers, 30 were passersby or onlookers. The most common offending agent was the Flower pot (Kalgach) - 84 cases, while fire crackers were responsible for 23 cases, eight cases were due to chakari and five cases were due to the flame of earthen lamps. Majority of the cases (112) had burns between 2% and 6%, while six cases had 10-15% burns and two other cases sustained 45% and 60% burns. Seventy percent of the cases burnt their right hands, 10% burnt their left hand, 5% had burns in both the hands, 4% had burns of the trunk and limbs to a variable extent and 6% sustained facial burns. There were six cases (5%) of eye injuries. While 112 cases were treated as outpatients, 18 cases required indoor treatment. Most of the cases were treated with Collagen dry sheet dressing. A few cases (n = 5) were subjected to Early Excision and Grafting, while three cases required delayed grafting. Burn Prevention programs before Diwali were also undertaken in both the hospitals during the study period. The effect of the Burn Prevention Program on the incidence is also discussed in this paper. Conclusions : Awareness among the masses and strict implementation of government legislation may help in bringing down the incidence of Diwali-related burns.