A cross-sectional study of manually processed petroleum derivatives burns

Syrian burn centers are facing challenges dealing with burns caused by manually processed petroleum derivatives during the current war due to the lack of energy storage. We are presenting a cross-sectional study conducted at Al-Mouwasat University Hospital from January 2024 to July 2024 in Syria. Based on our results, this kind of injuries is larger in burned area, can affect multiple body parts, is associated with higher prevalence of inhalation injuries, requires more debridement sessions, is more common among young females; and thus, higher mortality and morbidity rates, compared to other burn injuries. Receiving inappropriate first aid, associated with secondary transfer and late referral was the dominant entity in this kind of burn. On the other hand, this injury can be prevented with appropriate precautions. Although the retrospective descriptive nature of the study which relies on the quality of data collected and the consistency of clinical documentation, this paper is considered one of the leading studies to include this high number of cases in relative medical literature, as so far, medical literature is lacking about this specific injury and no national database is yet established.