Resumen

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.

Palabras clave : severe burn; Initial treatment.