With the aim of identifying patterns of burn injury, remediable risk factors, and policies in the overall surgical and medical management a retrospective review of 111 octogenarian burn victims admitted between 1983 and 1993 is presented. The mean age was 84 years, with the mean percentage body surface area burned (%BSAB) being 9.6 per cent (range 0.5-65 per cent). Contrary to expectations, the annual incidence appears to be declining, the possible reasons for which are discussed. Surgery was required in 69 patients; in 11 this was performed within 1 week of injury. When compared to the more traditional delayed surgical approach, early surgery conveyed no benefits in either mortality (early group, 18 per cent; delayed group, 13 per cent) or length of hospital stay (early group survivors, 38 days; delayed group survivors, 42 days). Medical and social problems were very common and led to an often difficult and frequently prolonged rehabilitation, with the mean length of hospital stay for all patients being 29 days. The mortality of the whole group was 26 per cent, the patients on average faring better than their predicted mortalities as derived using either the Baux index, the Bull table or the Abbreviated Burn Severity Score.