Background

On June 27, 2015, a colored powder explosion occurred in Taiwan. As a result, 499 people were injured, and over 200 people were in critical condition because of severe burns. Forty-nine casualties were transported to the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

Methods

We undertook a single-center retrospective observational study using clinical data for 37 patients with major burns with more than 20% total burn surface area (TBSA). We describe the experience of managing patients with acute burn injuries in these patients. Patient-specific data were analyzed and expressed as mean±standard deviation.

Results

Thirty-seven major burn patients were admitted to our hospital. The mean±SD age was 22.5±5 years. The mean±SD TBSA was 48.9%±20%. All patients were stabilized within 6 hours after admission, and no patient experienced hypothermia or hypovolemia. We performed 95 debridement procedures and 88 skin grafts. A mean of 5.6 surgeries were performed for each patient. The mean±SD hospital stay was 62±32 days. The ratio for hospital days/% TBSA was 1.36, and hospital charges/hospital days ratio was US $973 a day for surviving patients. Two mortalities (2/37, 5.4%) were reported: one was related to cardiac insult, and another was caused by sepsis.

Conclusions

We share our experience in managing 37 major burn patients in a colored powder explosion to improve the holistic care in modern mass burn casualties. Aggressive early debridement and skin grafting reduced hospital stay and costs.