Yunus Emre Gökçe, Rıdvan Erden, Çağla Çiçek, Zeynep Dereli, Gaye Filinte
Turkish Journal of Plastic Surgery - 2025;33(4):170-173
Epilypsy is a significant neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures accompanied by impaired consciousness and convulsive activity.[1,2] With a lifetime prevalence of 7.6 per 1000 individuals, epilepsy patients face substantially higher risks of injury during ictal events compared to the general population.[3-5] Patients with epilepsy are at significantly increased risk for various forms of trauma, particularly during ictal and postictal states, as seizures may occur unpredictably and in unsupervised environments.[6-8] Among these, burn injuries are of particular concern due to their potentially life-threatening nature, long-term functional consequences, and the high rates of surgical intervention they often require.[9,10] While maintaining normal daily activities is encouraged for these patients, appropriate safety precautions are imperative due to their inherent injury risks. Close collaboration with neurologists is crucial for both acute management and long-term prevention strategies.The predominant mechanisms of burn injuries in epileptic patients involve scald and contact burns, typically resulting from unprotected exposure to heat sources during seizure-related unconsciousness. The prolonged duration of contact during these episodes often results in severe, full-thickness burns. In this study, we systematically analyzed the demographic characteristics, injury patterns, treatment outcomes, and potential preventive measures for epileptic patients who sustained burn injuries requiring specialized care at our tertiary burn center.Aims: Epilepsy is a severe neurological dysfunction characterized by recurrent seizures accompanied by loss of consciousness. Burn injuries occurring in epilepsy patients are often deep burns due to the loss of consciousness during seizures. In this study, epileptic burn patients, the treatment process, and possible preventive measures were evaluated. Subjects and Methods: A total of 65 patients who presented with burn injuries occurring during epileptic seizures at the Burn Center of Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital between January 2015 and January 2025 were included in the study. The patients' mean age, gender, average follow-up periods, burn degrees, burn percentages, causes of burns, and treatment modalities were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Among the 65 patients, 22 were male (33.82%), and 43 were female (66.18%), with a mean age of 46.9 years. The average follow-up period was 73.08 days, and the mean total body surface area burned was 8.22%. Only 3.1% of the injuries were first-degree burns, while 40% were second-degree burns, and 56.9% were third-degree burns. The most common burn site was the right hand (27.9%). Scald burns were the most frequent type, observed in 53.8% of the cases. A total of 58 (89.2%) patients were followed with hospitalization. The most commonly performed surgical procedure was escharotomy and repair with split-thickness skin grafting (69.2%). Conclusions: Burns resulting from epileptic seizures are often deep and full-thickness burns, and treatment frequently involves the use of dermal matrices, negative pressure wound therapy, and reconstruction with grafts. Early detection of these burns, as well as timely debridement and reconstruction, is recommended.
