From June to September this year, nine people from Shepparton were admitted, compared to one person in the same period last year.
The hospital said people from the Shepparton area were over-represented when it came to burns-related presentations, with a large number due to accelerants such as petrol being added to fires.
All up, The Alfred has seen a 15 per cent increase in burns-related presentations during the latest COVID-19 lockdown period.
Burns admissions to ICU and theatre have almost doubled from the same period last year, as have "alarmingly" high-acuity presentations.
Burns arrivals via helicopter and air ambulance have also doubled.
Alfred Health burns nurse practitioner Hana Menezes said the easing of restrictions and the improving weather could create the perfect storm in terms of burns-related injuries.“Last time restrictions eased to the point people were allowed to head out and go camping, we had a huge influx in recreational-type injuries, classically around campfires,” Ms Menezes said.“People are having fun, having a few drinks and letting their guard down.
“Early signs from regional Victoria last weekend suggest that’s what’s occurring.
“I’ve had about 10 to 12 referrals just over the weekend and the early part of the week from people putting accelerants on fires.”A research paper released last year, which mapped data between July 2009 and June 2016, found men aged between 20 and 29 were most at risk, with regional patients significantly over-represented.The Australian Journal of Plastic Surgery report revealed one in five patients suffered debilitating burns due to petrol-related incidents.The mortality rate was seven per cent higher than other burns patients at 7.4 per cent (compared to 1.5 per cent), and 70 per cent of these patients had required surgery.Ms Menezes said adding accelerants to fires wasn’t worth the risk of serious injury or death.“We hear time and time again that people have done these things hundreds of times and they’ve gotten away with it,” she said.
“Then on a random day they learn how flammable accelerants are and what they can do to human skin.“It’s just not worth the risk. The fact so many people are being referred to ICU indicates how big and serious these burns can be.”
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