Abstract

CURIEL BALSERA, E. et al. Epidemiology, initial management and analysis of morbidity-mortalityof severe burn patient. Med. Intensiva [online]. 2006, vol.30, n.8, pp.363-639. ISSN 0210-5691.

Objective: Describe the epidemiological characteristics of severe burn patients and analyze the factors related with morbidity-mortality. Design and scope: Observational, retrospective study of patients admitted to an intensive care unit of a level III hospital due to severe burns from January 1998 to December 2004. Patients: 59 patients with criteria of «severe burn» and expected stay in ICU greater than three days. Main endpoints of interest: We studied epidemiological endpoints of this type of patients, diagnosis and initial treatment, early complications and morbidity-mortality. Results: The burned body surface was 41% ± 25% and age 49 ± 21 years. Patients remained hospitalized in ICU for a median of 4 days (interquartile range: 2-19). A total of 78% of the patients needed mechanical ventilation, 47% had some infection during admission and 28% developed acute kidney failure during the first week. Mortality in the ICU was 42%. Endpoints associated independently with a significant increase of mortality were burned body surface greater than 35% (OR 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03-1.12) and development of kidney failure (OR 5.47; 95% CI: 2.02 -8.93). Conclusions: Mortality of these patients is very high and is conditioned largely by initial care. Percentage of burned body surface (BBS) and kidney failure entails greater mortality in our series.

Keywords : severe burn; Initial treatment.