Easter Monday is always a special day for the Burn Intensive Care Unit at Cardarelli, the regional reference center which also serves patients from outside the region. On this day, in fact, patients in very serious conditions traditionally arrive, due to extensive and deep burns caused by the combustion of alcohol, improperly used to light fires or barbecues.
In 2023, throughout the year, there were 30 serious injuries that were treated by the burn unit due to combustion from lighting fires with flammable substances, and in 6 cases the conditions were so severe that they resulted in death.
Says Romolo Villani, head of the Burn Intensive Care Unit at Cardarelli «Easter Monday is always a time of great joy and carefreeness that brings families and friends together, but it takes a foolish act like using alcohol on the flames to cause serious permanent damage and, in some cases, death. Last year, 30% of the patients we treated in our department had come to us because of improper use of alcohol to light fires or barbecues. The practice of spraying alcohol on the flames or even on coals that seem not to be burning is very risky. For this reason, again this year we have decided to make a public appeal not to use alcohol or flammables to light fires or barbecues; it only takes a moment to ruin a life.»
The Burn Intensive Care Unit is a regional reference center and ensures services for the treatment of major burn victims also to other Italian regions. The work of the department is carried out in close collaboration with the UOC of reconstructive plastic surgery.