What the Stats Tell Us

Source: BRANZ 15th Annual Report, 1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024

• 2351 Australian Patients

  The Data:

  A total of 2,351 burn-related admissions were recorded across 13 Australian tertiary hospitals contributing to BRANZ in 2023/24. This represents a 3.0% reduction from 2,423 admissions in 2022/23.

  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population:

  • Comprised 147 patients (6.3% of the total cohort) in 2023/24.
  • Demonstrates a significant decrease from 238 patients (9.8%) in 2022/23.

  Previous Reporting Periods:

  • 2022/23: 2,423 burn admissions in Australia
    • 10.6% decrease from 2,716 admissions in 2021/22.
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: 238 patients (9.8%).
  • 2021/22: 2,716 burn admissions in Australia.

  Final Comment:

  The most striking trend in the 2023/24 data is a 39.3% reduction in burn injuries among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with patient numbers falling from 238 to 147. Their representation among burn patients also decreased, from 9.8% to 6.3% of total Australian admissions.

  2351 Australian Patients

  

  A total of 2,351 burn-related admissions were recorded across 13 Australian tertiary hospitals.

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• 2143 Adult Burn Patients

  The Data:

  • 2,153 or 76.9% of admissions were adult patients (≥16 years).
  • Median age of 42 years.
  • 70.6% were male.
  • 42.9% of cases were flame burns.
  • 5.2 days was the median hospital stay.

  Previous Reporting Period (2022/23):

  • 2,209 (74.4% of total admissions) were adult patients (≥16 years).
  • 41.3% of adult burns were due to flame injuries.

  Final Comment:

  The 2023/24 data demonstrates a 2.5% decrease in adult burn cases from the previous year (2,209 to 2,153), despite adult patients representing a higher proportion of total admissions (76.9% compared to 74.4% in 2022/23).

  The predominance of flame burns among adult patients increased slightly from 41.3% to 42.9%. These changes occurred within the context of an overall 5.6% reduction in total burn admissions across Australia and New Zealand

  2143 Adult Burn Patients

  

  76.9% or 2153 adult patients were admitted to specialist burn units across Australian and New Zealand.

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• 648 Paediatric Patients

  The Data:

  Paediatric patients (<16 years):

  • 648 or 23.1% <16 years.
  • Median age of 3 years.
  • 61.7% were male.
  • 51.4% of cases were from scalds.
  • Median hospital stay was 2.1 days.

  Previous Reporting Period (2022/23):

  • Paediatric patients: 760 (25.6% of total admissions).

  Final Comment:

  Paediatric burn injuries exhibited a substantial 14.7% decrease from 760 cases in 2022/23 to 648 in 2023/24. Their proportion of total burn admissions correspondingly declined from 25.6% to 23.1%.

  Scalds remained the primary mechanism of injury at 51.4%, with children under three years particularly vulnerable to these injuries.

  The significant reduction in paediatric burn cases may reflect successful prevention initiatives targeting families with young children, improved parental awareness of burn hazards, or enhanced safety measures in home environments where 74.2% of paediatric burns occur.

  648 Paediatric Patients

  

  23.1% or 648 paediatric patients (<16 years) were admitted to specialist burn units across Australian and New Zealand.

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• Flame Burns 35%

  The Data:

  Cause of Injury (All Patients):

  • During 2023/24 the most common cause of injury across all patients was flame burns (35%), followed by scalds (33%), and contact burns (16%).

  Cause of Injury (Paediatric Patients):

  • The most common cause of injury among paediatric patients during the 2023/24 reporting period was scalds (51%), followed by contact burns (24%), and friction burns (12%).

  Cause of Injury (Adult Patients):

  • The most common cause of injury among adult patients during the 2023/24 reporting period was flame burns (43%), followed by scalds (27%), and contact burns (13%).

  Flame Burns 35%

  

  Flame burns were the leading cause of injury.

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• Quality First Aid

  The Data:

  Burn cooling (at least 20 minutes) is critical initial first aid practice, reducing burn area and depth. In 2023/24:

  • 76.0% of patients received some form of first aid;
  • 85.5% of paediatric vs. 71.8% of adult patients received first aid;
  • gold standard first aid (20+ minutes of cool running water within three hours) was applied to 59.5% of patients (down from 59.8% in 2022/23); and
  • 75.8% of paediatric vs. 54.2% of adult patients received gold standard first aid.

  Patients Lacking Optimal First Aid:

  • 24.2% of children (≈148 patients).
  • 45.8% of adults (≈873 patients).

  Final Comment:

  Gold standard first aid has declined from 64.3% (2016/17) to 59.5% (2023/24). Patients receiving no first aid over the same period increased from 19.9% to 24.9%.

  Quality First Aid

  

  75.8% of paediatric patients and 54.2% of adult patients received gold standard first aid.

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• Additional Treatment

  The Data:

  Surgical Interventions:

  • 70.7% of all patients underwent a burn wound management procedure in theatre.
  • 65.7% of patients received a skin graft.
  • Median time from injury to first grafting was 8.6 days.
  • 70.2% of Australian patients underwent procedures, 68.9% of these received skin grafts.
  • Adults – 69.2% underwent procedures, 70.7% of these received skin grafts.
  • Children – 75.8% underwent procedures, 50.7% of these received skin grafts.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – 67.3% underwent procedures, 53.5% of these received skin grafts.

  Previous reporting period (2022/23):

  • Adults – 73% underwent burn wound procedures in theatre.
  • Children – 79.2% underwent burn wound procedures in theatre.

  Final comment:

  A declining trend in surgical interventions for both adult and paediatric populations. Adult procedure rates decreased from 73% to 69.2% (3.8 percentage point reduction), while paediatric rates fell from 79.2% to 75.8% (3.4 percentage point reduction).

  Additional Treatment

  

  70.2% of Australian burn patients underwent surgical intervention or a wound procedure.

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• In-Hospital Mortality

  The Data:

  In-Hospital Mortality (2023/24):

  • Australia – 1.6% in-hospital deaths.
  • New Zealand – <1% in-hospital deaths.
  • Overall demographic breakdown:
    • Adult patients – 1.9%.
    • Paediatric patients – 0%.
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – 0%.
    • Māori – 0%.

  Previous Reporting Period (2022/23):

  In-hospital deaths 2022-2023:

  • Adults – 2.3% in-hospital deaths.
  • Paediatric patients – <1% in-hospital deaths.

  Final Comment:

  Analysis of mortality data shows a positive trend with decreasing in-hospital death rates across all populations. The adult mortality rate decreased from 2.3% to 1.9%, representing a 17.4% relative reduction. Paediatric mortality remains extremely low at 0% for the current reporting period.

  The absence of recorded deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Māori patients is particularly noteworthy given the historically higher risk profiles in these populations.

  In-Hospital Mortality

  

  In-Hospital mortality dropped from 2.1% to 1.6%.

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• Median Hospital Stay

  The Data:

  The median hospital stay length in Australia and New Zealand burn sites:

  • The overall median is 4.7 days.
  • If the injury is a major burn, hospital stay is 19.3 days.
  • The median hospital stay in Australia is 4.1 days.
  • In adults, the median stay is 5.2 days.
  • In children, the median stay is 2.1 days.
  • For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the median stay is 4.8 days.

  Final comment:

  Referral Patterns for 2023/24 are consistent with previous reports. Approximately half of both paediatric and adult patients were transferred to a specialist burn service via another hospital:

  Paediatric patients (0-15 Years):

  • 49.2% referred from other hospitals.
  • 15.7% arrived via ambulance directly from the scene.
  • 17.1% were self-presentations.

  Adult patients (16+ Years):

  • 48.2% referred from other hospitals.
  • 25.0% arrived via ambulance directly from the scene.
  • 7.4% were self-presentations.

  Median Hospital Stay

  

  4.1 days median hospital stay for Australian burn patients.

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• Location of Burn Incident

  The Data:

  Home or usual residence:

  • Overall, 59.8% of all burn injuries occur in the home or usual residence.
  • 74.0% of paediatric burns occur in the home or usual residence.
  • 55.0% of adult burns occur in the home or usual residence.
  • For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 54.5% of burns occur in the home or usual residence.

  Other common locations for children include:

  • Place for recreation – 9.0%.
  • Other specified place – 7.0%.
  • Other residence – 5.0%.
  • Street and highway – 5.0%.

  Other common locations for adults include:

  • Trade, services, industrial, or construction area – 15.0%.
  • Other specified place – 9.0%.
  • Place for recreation – 8.0%.
  • Street and highway – 8.0%.
  • Other residence – 6.0%.

  Final comment:

  Analysis of the 2023/24 data shows significant changes in burn injury locations compared to previous reporting periods. The proportion of adult burns occurring at home decreased from 57.5% to 55.0%, while for children it decreased from 75.6% to 74.0%. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples showed the most substantial location shift, with home-based injuries decreasing from 61.2% to 54.5%.

  Location of Burn Incident

  

  55.0% of adults and 74.0 % of children suffered a burn injury at their home or usual residence.

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• Males – Over 2x More Likely

  The Data:

  • Overall (Australia and New Zealand) – 68.6% male, making males 2.18 times more likely to sustain burns.
  • Australia – 69.0% male, making males 2.23 times more likely to sustain burns.
  • Adults – 70.6% male, making males 2.40 times more likely to sustain burns.
  • Children – 61.7% male, making males 1.61 times more likely to sustain burns.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – 67.3% male, making males 2.06 times more likely to sustain burns.
  • Māori – 67.6% male, making males 2.09 times more likely to sustain burns.

  Previous Gender Data (2022/23):

  • Australia – Males were 2.11 times more likely to sustain burns.
  • Adults – Males were 2.31 times more likely to sustain burns.
  • Children – Males were 1.53 times more likely to sustain burns.

  Final comment:

  In Australia, the male-to-female burn injury ratio increased from 2.11 to 2.23. This trend is more pronounced in adult populations (2.31 to 2.40) compared to paediatric patients (1.53 to 1.61).

  Males – Over 2x More Likely

  

  Males continue to be at higher risk of burn injuries.

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• Financial Cost of Burns

  The Data:

  In Western Australia in 2019, there were 1,307 hospitalisations for burns and scalds, consuming an estimated 6,263 bed days at an approximate cost of $12,846,798.

  (Source: Injury Matters. (2020). Incidence and costs of injury in WA. Perth: Department of Health, Western Australia.)

  Estimated treatment costs (adult patients):

  • For small burns (≤10% TBSA) – approximately $188,235-$228,571 per adult patient.
  • For severe burns (>40% TBSA) – approximately $1,011,765-$1,228,571 per adult patient.

  ReCell™ treatment savings (adult patients):

  • RECELL® reduces treatment costs by 14-17% at burn treatment centers.
  • For small burns (≤10% TBSA) – approximately $32,000 savings per adult patient.
  • For severe burns (>40% TBSA) – up to $172,000 savings per adult patient.

  (Source: Derived from Deloitte Access Economics. (2022). Economic value of the health and medical research sector in Western Australia. Perth: Research Australia. (Based on ReCell™ cost savings data for adult patients) ## Gender Distribution (2023/24).

  Financial Cost of Burns

  

  $2000 is the average cost per 24hrs of admission for specialist burn care (adult).

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