COMPARISON OF DEAD VICTIMS DUE TO BURN BETWEEN PERIODS
ABSTRACT: Death resulting from
burn often occurs in daily life. Accidents, such as accidental bursting of
kerosene oil stove, a child poured with hot water or cooking oil, burnt house,
burn due to fallen oil lamp, and homicidal as well as suicidal burn using
gasoline or kerosene, are not exceptional. Mortality due to these accidents is
included in unnatural deaths, and can be categorized into three causes, i.e., accidents,
which most commonly occur, homicide, and suicide. Injury resulting from burn
may lead to fatality, and this depends on the degree of burn, the extent and
localization of burn injury, affected
vital organs, treatment, physical endurance and general condition of the
victim. For six years, from 1999 to 2004, there were 277 dead burn victims at
the Department of Forensic Medicine, Airlangga University School of Medicine,
Dr Soetomo Teaching Hospital, Surabaya.
Using chi-square analysis with significance level (alpha) of 0.05, it was found
that there was no significant difference in the proportion of sex of the dead
victims due to burn between periods, no significant difference according to the
sex of the victims, and no significant difference in age groups of the dead victims
due to burn between periods. Efforts should be taken to reduce the rate of
accidents that may lead to fatal burn injury, such as by providing public
education on the prevention of burn.
Author: Hariadi Apuranto
Journal Code: jpkedokterangg050026
