Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Background: Generally, burns injuries are quite traumatizing and pose immense challenge in terms of management, worse if in pregnancy. The incidence of burns in pregnancy is low. The total body surface area (TBSA) and gestational age at presentation are major prognostic factors in determining both maternal and fetal outcomes, respectively.
Objectives: To evaluate the effects of burn injury on pregnancy as well as highlighting challenges encountered during the management of these cases in our facility. We also intend to share our experiences garnered during the period in review and make plausible recommendations that will aid in preventing the challenges.
Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study of all pregnant women with acute burns injury admitted in the burns unit of Generation Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt in Rivers State between January 2015 and December 2021. Information was collected from the medical records of the patients using a structured proforma and analysed with SPSS version 25.0
Results: A total of 197 cases of burns injury were admitted and managed in the facility, out of which seventeen (17) were pregnant women, giving an incidence of 8.6%.. The mean age of the patients was 26±2.29 years, ranging between 18-35 years. Majority of the patients (14; 82.4%) have had at least a term delivery in the past. Cooking gas explosion was responsible for the majority of the burns injury (52.9%), followed by kerosene (29.4%) and hot water splash (17.6%) from kettles and cooking pots. Out of the seventeen (17) patients, 10 patients had fetal demise with over 50% occurring within the first and second trimesters. Spontaneous miscarriage rate was 35.3%. The incidence of maternal death is comparatively low (23.5%). This rate is positively correlated with the percentage of TBSA of the body affected. All the patients with TBSA of ≥50% had maternal death, as well as the fetuses
Conclusion: The incidence of burns in pregnancy is low. Cooking gas explosion remains the major cause of burns in our setting. Early pregnancy loss is one of the complications. Maternal and fetal outcome was positively correlated with amount of TBSA affected. Early intervention and multidisciplinary approach is key to reduce adverse maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.